Shades of Gray
by Night Beauty
Summary: Two students rule: Leader of the Blacks, Yagami Taichi, and Leader of the Whites, Ishida Yamato. Havoc ensues, until Takenouchi Sora, the new Gray transfer student, arrives. Based of the manga, Penguin Brothers
1. The New Gray

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either; I'm borrowing the main plot. I'm doing that to a few of my other fics, too. oo;

* * *

**Shades of Gray**: Chapter One

* * *

"Takenouchi Sora," she bowed, a few strands of her auburn hair falling to the sides of her face. "I transferred in from Paris, nice to meet you, ma'am." 

"It's your sixth time," the counselor said, re-observing the paper in her hand.

The girl nodded. "Yes, it's my sixth time transferring to a different school. My father and I move a lot because of her job as a journalist."

"Mm," she nodded. "Okay then, Sora, welcome to Odaiba High School."

* * *

_I feel misplaced_ the girl thought, shifting the strap of her messenger bag neatly on her shoulder. _Everyone's… weird._

Sora noticed around her how everyone around was dressed in two different types of uniforms. To her right had been girls and boys dressed in white, and to the left had been girls and boys in black. Colors walked with their own color; there wasn't a black along with a white.

"Prodigious!"

The girl blinked and looked behind her. A redheaded boy about her age stared back at her with jet black eyes.

_He's not wearing a uniform, he's dressed casually like me…_

"Hello…"

"So, you're one of us?" the boy inquired.

Sora blinked. "One of who?"

"Us. Grays," a new voice added. A blue-haired boy smiled while he adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "You're not wearing a uniform like everyone else."

"Oh, well," the girl replied quickly, "I didn't know this high school had uniforms, so I didn't buy any yet…"

"Our school doesn't require uniforms," both boys replied.

"Eh? But these people "

"We'll explain it later, the bell's about to ring," the redhead placed his hand in front. "My name's Izumi Koushiro, a junior here."

"Takenouchi Sora, also a junior," she shook his hand, and followed to the next boy.

"Kido Jyou, senior."

* * *

Sora sat at the back of the class, staring at the intricate designs of her desk while people whispered and glanced at her. 

"She's a Gray…"

"The new girl won't last long."

"… What are the Leaders going to do?"

_What's up with this private school? Maybe I should've gone somewhere else…_

"Oh, I just adore your boots!"

"Wha?" Sora snapped out of her thoughts and looked in front of her.

The girl had pink hair decorated with stars. She smiled at her; her carnation lips glimmered with clear lip-gloss. Both her elbows were propped on her desk while she stared at her with light chestnut orbs.

"In fact, I like your whole outfit!" she gushed. "By the way, I'm Tachikawa Mimi."

"Thank you," Sora said quietly. She observed how Mimi had a white sailor-type shirt on and a white skirt that was designed with neat creases. "I'm Takenouchi Sora."

"It must be nice being a Gray."

"Sorry, what exactly is that?"

"You don't know?" she raised an eyebrow. "I'd think you'd know by now…"

Sora shook her head, "No, I don't even understand why student are wearing uniforms when they're not even required!"

"Well, you see," Mimi placed three fingers up, "there are three groups at this school; Whites, Blacks, and Grays. Each side has leaders, except the Grays they're like the neutral ones around though there aren't a lot. Yagami Taichi leads the Blacks. That mop-head always goes around causing trouble. The Whites, however…"

"Tachikawa Mimi!"

"Ahh…" she quickly turned her attention back to the front. "Here!"

"That's nice to know," the teacher replied bluntly, "but can you answer the question?"

Mimi laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Well, see…"

"I'm sorry, I was the one distracting her," Sora said standing up. "I was asking her a few questions. Please don't blame anything on her."

Whispers rose among the class. Sora felt nervous again and immediately sat back down.

_Yeah, I can tell it's going to be a long day._

_

* * *

_

"Mimi, can you show me to the next class?"

She looked around nervously. "Oh… sorry Sora, I'd love to but I can't. Uh… bye!"

"What?" Sora looked around and found Whites staring at her. _Too weird._

The girl scurried up the stairs and turned a corner. She found herself knocked into someone and fell back a few steps. "Sorry!" She quickly bent down to retrieve the papers.

Ice blue eyes stared back at her. For a moment they widened, but then his guard was back up. He squatted as well and picked up a few papers. "Sora?"

She tilted her head. "How do you know my name?"

"Hey now, treat the president of student council with respect!"

"Ahh, sorry Jyou," Sora bowed. "I didn't know who he was."

"Oh," Jyou sweatdropped. "He's… Hey!"

The boy had already gone off in a different direction.

"Sorry, I gotta discuss some things with him," the blue-haired replied apologetically and left to follow him.

_Am I supposed to know him?_

_

* * *

_

Sora pulled down her crimson sweater so that the border overlapped her black skirt. Her brown boots came up to her knees and with that outfit, people noticed her quickly. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her auburn hair that fell a little below her shoulders was tucked neatly behind her ears.

_Maybe because I'm actually in color makes me seem more like an outcast._

"So, you're the new girl."

The new girl glanced at the mirror and saw the reflection of a White. She had light crimson hair that spiked upwards, matching her amethyst eyes, which were filled with amusement. She crossed her arms, shaking her head at the new girl.

"You won't last long. I suggest you pick a side soon or else you'll be in trouble."

Sora inquired, "Why would I be in trouble?"

"If you were smart," the redhead replied, "I'd choose Whites. But don't think you'll get your hands on Yamato-sama, either. Or maybe you'll just be a pathetic Black."

"I don't even know that person," Sora replied angrily.

"You'll know, but if you can't handle it, just leave."

With that said, the student walked out the door, leaving Sora with some serious doubts

* * *

"What's wrong with this school?" 

"It's elementary when you think about it," Koushiro replied, taking a sip of his bottled water. "The school is consisted of Blacks and Whites, each one holding their own leader. Blacks and Whites are adversaries, of course."

"It doesn't explain why people keep talking to me like I'm a germ or something," she muttered. "Why did this happen, anyway?"

"We'll explain it to you later," Jyou shrugged the question off again.

"Stop it!" a girl cried.

The three looked at each other and stood up immediately. They ran to the direction of the scream. They turned to a courtyard where a boy in a black uniform stood over a young White.

"You should've kicked the soccer ball back to me, and not avoid it reading this dumb book," the chestnut-haired boy threw the book into the bushes, reaching for a metal pole near the other gym equipment.

Sora looked at each boy to her sides. "Shouldn't we stop him?"

Jyou looked away. "What can we do?"

The girl frowned and ran to the boy, clutching his arm that held the pole. "Stop it!"

Kids from all around looked at her. The boy had stopped his assault, and the young White looked up at them through her glasses. She stood up quickly and bowed, not bothering to fix her messy violet strands. The girl quickly left, angering the boy in Sora's grasp. He shot his arm forcefully and thrust the new Gray onto the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Are you crazy?" Sora scolded back, "You could've killed her hitting her with a metal pole!"

"I see," the boy tapped the pole on his shoulder, pondering in a childish manner. "You're the new Gray, aren't you? Well, here's the deal." He pointed the pole in front of her face. "I'm Yagami Taichi, leader of the Blacks."

_No wonder… he's the 'mop-head' Mimi told me about…_

"First of all, when you belong in a group, you follow the Leader, no matter what. Don't ask questions, don't talk back, and don't revolt. Got it, new girl?"

She frowned, getting up slowly and clutched her fists. "You're an idiot."

Taichi flinched. No one had ever talked back… especially not to a Leader.

"Everyone here has to follow one of the Leaders, get into reckless and dangerous fights, and not even have a chance to defend themselves? What's wrong with you people?" She looked around her, to Koushiro, who merely crossed his arms with a smile on his face, and then to Jyou, who vaguely nodded. "Why aren't you questioning these rules?"

The Blacks and Whites whispered to each other, all of them staring at the two in the spotlight.

"Interesting," a new voice added. "Finally, a person who dares asks these questions."

The crowd moved and made way to a blonde boy wearing a white uniform. Sora realized immediately it was the boy she had met earlier.

"Ishida," Taichi frowned threw the pole back into the gym's rack. "Don't show your face, it makes me feel sick."

"Prodigious," Koushiro commented, who had slipped beside Sora unbeknownst to her. "It's odd to see Yagami Taichi, leader of the Blacks, and Ishida Yamato, leader of the Whites together. What unusual events today."

Sora titled her head and asked. "Do the Grays have a leader?"

"No, we're more independent," Jyou explained. "As we said earlier, there aren't much of us."

"Then," the new girl smiled, "I'll be a Gray then! I don't want to be amongst this fighting. I don't want to follow anyone's orders, either."

Yamato was surprised by her announcement, but no one seemed to notice, thanks to Taichi's reaction.

The mop-head burst into laughter, stuffing one hand into his pocket. "You don't want to follow orders? You'll regret coming here, new girl!"

"I'll stay," Sora said firmly. "Don't worry."

"Let's place a bet then!" the leader of the Blacks told the whole courtyard. "Let's see how many days she can last before she leaves…"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**

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**


	2. Rising Complications

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

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**  
ATTENTION!** I have been informed that another story like this has been written. Also, I have been accused of copying, but I haven't even heard or read this story until I was notified by one of my reviewers. Now, there are several differences in our fics, and neither her nor I agree that this is plagiarism. It happens that both of us have based it on the same Manga, "Penguin Brothers," which we have both claimed in our disclaimers. Her fanfiction is Mimato, mine… still undecided, but is will probably be a Sora x ? pairing. So, if you want to read a Mimato version, go check hers, titled "She's a Gray!" To a certain flamer: was it really necessary to use that kind of language? If you read the disclaimers, you'll realize that both our story's come from the same plot… Sorry, thank you all for informing me a fic like this was already written! I really appreciate it, and I hope this clears up a few things. If you feel I shouldn't write this, please do tell me. I guess… I could always make an Inuyasha version? Oo;;

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**  
Shades of Gray**: Chapter Two

* * *

"Hey, Gray!" 

"What?" Sora glanced up. There was a Black standing on top of the gym lockers, holding a bucket filled with who-knows-what.

"Tee-hee, made you look!" she teased, pouring the thick, black liquid onto the new girl. "Too bad."

Sora felt the cold tar, "What the…?"

"Now!"

Sora squealed as she was bombarded with pink feathers coming from three other girls.

The girls giggled. "Ha, little pink Piyo!"

The Gray clenched her fist and sent it straight into a nearby locker. It placed a dent, but its loud noise startled them.

"Eek!" they screamed, running away.

Calm down Sora, it's okay… 

A girl peeked from behind one of the locker stalls. "Sora…?"

"Huh? Oh…" The girl recognized her; it was hard to forget anyone with pink hair decorated with stars. "Hi Mimi."

"Are you okay?" she asked meekly.

Sora started peeling the feathers off her sticky skin, "Oh, never been better!" she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry, Sora," the White responded. She took a towel from her bag and went to the sink to soak it. She returned, helping the Gray wipe the pink feathers from her hair. "Maybe you should just become one of us! I'm sure things will be better that way."

"No way!" she replied, almost startling her classmate. "There's no way I'm losing the likes of Taichi."

"But Sora, you're not going to last long this way… Don't worry, people won't laugh at you or anything, they'll treat you right!"

"It's okay," Sora smiled, taking the towel from her. "Here, you should leave, or else you'll be targeted too, right?"

"I'm really sorry," the girl looked down. "But I think you should consider becoming a White. This isn't something you deserve."

_No one in this school deserves this_ Sora thought as Mimi walked away.

* * *

"This clothing's weird…" Sora came out of the changing room and appeared in black gym shorts and a white t-shirt. 

"You announced to the public that you were going to be a Gray," Koushiro explained. "Do you know what you've put yourself in?"

Sora shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her bag. "How was I supposed to know anything? You two boys ended up fine!"

"Maybe you should just wear a uniform to avoid trouble?"

"No!" the new girl said firmly, "I won't give in so easily!"

"I'm appalled," Koushiro smirked. "Most of the time girls would run away after being hit like that."

"Well, I'm not 'most girls', am I!" Sora retorted, placing her messenger bag over her shoulder.

As she turned left out of the room, she saw a figure standing at the corner, who quickly fled at her sight.

"Hey, girl!" someone called. A purple-haired boy ran up to her, crossing his arms. "Yagami-senpai orders to see you."

"What? Who are you?"

"Motomiya Daisuke, of course!" he smiled big. "Now, listen up and you won't get hurt."

_What's up with this kid's ego?_

"Go see Yagami-senpai right now! Or else."

"Or else what? A lil kid like you can't – Hey!" Daisuke was stronger than she thought. He dragged the girl, her stomach folding to the curve of his shoulder. She kicked, but proved futile. "Let me down!"

"He said to do this if you resisted," he chuckled.

She pouted, suddenly noticing how everyone was staring at her. _Why me?_

* * *

"Idiot!" Taichi yelled at the younger boy. "Listen, if you're that bad at soccer, just don't even bother!" 

The young White squirmed, trying to get up from the ground. Taichi assaulted another blow to the stomach, causing a stroll of blood to flow from his mouth.

"Taichi-senpai, I brought the girl!"

"Ow!" Sora cried as he practically threw her to the ground. "Moron… Hey! Stop hurting him!"

"Oh please, not the 'Oh no! Stop it! You're going to hurt him!' speech," Taichi scrunched his nose. "But I'll give you a chance to save him, if you'd like."

"What is it?" Sora held her eyes at him, and stepped back when his face got a bit too close to hers.

"A game of soccer, how 'bout?" he whispered in her ear. "You game?"

* * *

"Yamato, you've been really quiet," Jyou commented slowly, looking up from his papers. "You're being a poor planner for being the Student Council president." 

"It was a majority vote, it's not like I wanted this position," he countered.

"Well, isn't that odd," the blue haired boy stared out the window.

Yamato frowned. "How is that in any way odd?"

"I mean," he cleared this throat, "Sora and Taichi are going one-on-one at soccer."

The blonde president took a glimpse of the event, surprise that indeed, Sora was proving to be a formidable adversary to the greatest 'punk' at this school.

* * *

"She beat him…" a Black whispered to his friend. 

"Hey, what did you say?" Taichi clenched his fists and glared at his fellow students.

"Oh – nothing! You're still the best, Taichi-senpai!" they ran off before injury could be initiated.

"I scored three out of five, so you're going to let this boy go, right?" Sora panted, helping a White up. The short boy bowed and ran off.

Taichi glared, walking and moving his face very close to hers. "You've got some nerve."

"Stop getting close to me! You're the one who challenged me. I think you're the one with the nerve," she retorted, pushing him away. "What have these people done to you?"

"Anyone siding with Ishida deserves no respect from me," he spat.

"Yeah right, at least he has the decency to be nice to everyone!"

"You talk as if you know him," he glared. "Next we meet, I won't be so easy."

* * *

"You need another pair of clothes?" the coach sweatdropped. 

"Ahh, well, I'm pretty sweaty from playing soccer…"

A few minutes, Sora was dressed in a clean orange shirt and black shorts. "Thanks!"

"It's no problem… Why do you bother fighting back, anyway?"

"Why not?" she asked, and left.

"Heh…"

As Sora walked down the empty halls, there was an undeniable feeling that someone was following her. Every time she glanced behind her, however, nothing was there.

_I'm paranoid…_ She halted at her locker, which seemed to hold a foul smell. _Don't tell me…_

After inputting the combination, she closed her eyes, slowly opening the locker. However, only a banana peel fell out before someone forcefully closed it.

"Huh?"

"If you know it smells bad, you don't open it," the blonde boy replied. "… Idiot."

"I need my book…" Sora mumbled to Yamato. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Here," he handed her his Physics book. "Don't bother opening anything from now on."

"How do you know I have Physics next? Were you following me?"

"I have connections," Yamato shifted his blue eyes away from her. "And no, I wasn't following you. Bye."

"Hey, wait!" Sora yelled, but he ignored her call. "Thanks…"

* * *

"Sora!" Koushiro called from the back of the class. The girl nodded and took at seat next to him. "Everything been okay so far?" 

"More or less, I've been saved by Yamato though…"

"What!" the redhead in front shrieked. "Yamato – helping you? Don't lie about this kind of thing. Yamato-kun would never help someone like you."

_Huh? It's that girl from the bathroom yesterday…_

"Motomiya Jun!" the teacher called, tapping his ruler on the desk. "Can you please try not to be a disturbance to the class… as always?"

"Sorry, sensei," the girl replied. "But I wouldn't take that tone with me. You wouldn't want me to send some… annoyances, would you?"

The teacher remained silent, and continued writing on the board.

"The teachers have no control?" Sora whispered to Koushiro.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, Jun is a devout White to her idol, Ishida Yamato. Anyone – especially a Gray – who lays her hands on him will certainly suffer under her wrath."

"Has a Gray gone after him before?"

"Yeah…"

Sora arched a brow. "Who? There's another female Gray?"

Koushiro began doodling on his paper. "She couldn't stand the pressure… and turned into a White…"

_He looks so sad…_

"Who is it?"

"It was -"

"Hey! This IS Yamato-kun's book!" Jun shouted. "How can this be? Why would Yamato-kun let a GRAY touch his precious books?"

Sora snatched her – rather, Yamato's – textbook back from the redhead. "Yamato's nicer than that stupid Taichi, why wouldn't he?"

"Whoa!" Daisuke called, peeking in from the window. "Sora has Ishida's textbook!"

"Are you stalking me now?"

Koushiro sweatdropped at the scene. Daisuke stumbled in through the window and quickly picked himself up.

"I gotta tell this to Taichi-senpai. Follow me!" he grabbed Sora and her textbook, dragging her into the Black's Territory.

* * *

"What is it THIS time?" Taichi spat with an annoyed look. "Oh! It's the new girl. Missed me?" 

She rolled her eyes. "As if."

"Take a look," Daisuke opened the cover and inside revealed Ishida Yamato's name.

Taichi smirked, taking the book and spinning it with his finger. "So, you have this in your possession? You must be very special to Ishida, if that's the case."

"I barely know the guy," she mumbled. Sora blinked as Taichi's chocolate orbs looked into her eyes. "W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Daisuke, leave," Taichi demanded, not taking his eyes off her.

"What, why?"

"I said LEAVE!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh," the Black muttered, closing the door shut.

"There's no way," he looked away, dumping the textbook onto the table. "You can't be her…"

_What's up with him? Who does he think I am?_

"You almost look like her, and you almost play soccer as well as her. Hell, you almost smell like her…"

"Who the hell are you talking about? I'm only one person and that's Takenouchi Sora!"

"No, you can't be her," he closed his eyes. "But if Yamato lent something to YOU of all people, then…"

"Taichi!" a girl called, kicking the door open. "Leave her alone."

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

* * *


	3. Enter Kyuubi

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 3

* * *

Sora blinked. She was confused. 

Oh, so very, very, confused.

"H-Hikari!" Taichi stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

The brunette girl frowned at the boy, slamming the door behind her. Her chocolate orbs glared right at the boy. "You're scaring the poor girl, for goodness sakes! Brother, what on earth are you doing?"

The Gray looked back and forth at the two siblings. "Okay, if you're going to argue, please leave me out of this!"

Hikari strolled to Sora, unclamping the handcuffs behind her back. "Sorry, Sora."

_Eh? These are cheap handcuffs…_ Sora sweatdropped. "Ahh… it's fine…"

"What do you think you're doing?" the boy snapped. "Stay out of my business."

"… Do I know you?" Sora tilted her head.

The Leader's sister smiled, "No, I don't think so. You can leave now. I need a talk with my brother."

* * *

_What was that about?_ Sora wondered, folding her arms. _Taichi knows who I am but his sister doesn't? She must be lying… But why can't I seem to remember them?_

"Ack!" a girl shrieked, a book jumping out of her hands. "Sorry!"

Sora had almost bumped into the girl, but thankfully the scream stopped. "Oh, it's okay… Hey, you're that girl Taichi almost attacked with a pole, right?"

The White glanced in all directions while picking up her book. She stepped and leaned back against a wall, hoping no one would get a glimpse at her. "Yeah, that's right. Thanks for saving me back there," she smiled. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Well, it didn't seem like anyone else was going to step in. This school is so weird," Sora pushed her hair back behind her ear. "My name's Takenouchi Sora, though I bet you already know."

"Yeah," the girl chuckled nervously. "I know. My name's Inoue Miyako, freshman."

The redhead nodded. "I don't suppose you know if there's going to be any assaults on me…"

"Actually," Miyako whispered. "Jun might be planning something, since she found Yamato's property in your custody. Those girls are vicious."

"Great," Sora rolled her eyes. "Well, thanks for warning me. We should get going, or else you'll get hurt too."

"Bye…" Miyako walked away.

Sora glanced behind her before proceeding to her next destination. She nearly stopped in her tracks when she saw a figure peeking from one corner. That person quickly ran.

"Hey – wait a minute!" she began to run after. She stopped in front of the cafeteria, where they had certainly blended into the crowd. "Damn it."

"Look, it's the Gray!" someone shouted. "ATTACK!"

Sora widened her eyes and stepped back slowly. "Ehehehe… Umm…"

In a matter of seconds, about fifteen Whites came running after her, food in hand, ready to assault. She turned and began running very quickly.

"Faster!"

"Launch the potatoes!"

**Splat!**

Sora winced at the feeling of mashed potato on her socks and the back of her shirt. Another one hit her arm.

_Gross!_ she thought, turning a corner.

"Chocolate milk!"

Faster footsteps came up behind her, grabbing her flowing auburn hair and spilling over it with the sticky drink. She turned on her heel and assaulted the White with a kick to the stomach. He fell back, slowing down the group he had fallen into.

She spun again, her fingers pushing against the floor to keep her balance. It was luck she was such an athletic person. She turned to the right, where she was suddenly grabbed and thrown into a room. "Ah!"

"Shh."

A hand covered her mouth, yet she couldn't see the one who had saved her. She breathed in and out deeply; her heartbeat slowly returning to normal as the footsteps began to fade away.

"Damn! She disappeared!"

"Quick, split up! Don't worrying about wasting the ammunition!"

_This is war_ she thought numbly.

"Sora… are you okay?"

"Yeah…" she looked up and found a pair of azure eyes staring down at her. "Ah, Yamato! Why are you here?"

"To save you…" he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

They were cramped into a janitor's room, and it smelled really, really bad.

Sora stood up from the ground she was forced onto, afraid to touch the school food plastered onto her. Her hair was almost stiff from the sugary substance. "Oh, man…"

"Sora," Yamato said, almost emotionless. "Did… Hikari come?"

"Huh? Oh… Taichi's sister? Yeah, she did…"

"Did you know who she was?"

"No, I didn't. I wasn't supposed to, was I?" she arched a brow. "She said I wasn't supposed to."

"Damn it!" he cursed, clenching his fists. "Sora…"

"Listen," she crossed her arms. "I think you've mistaken me for the wrong person. I've never met any of you guys, okay? Even Hikari said she didn't recognize me."

"She's lying."

"Maybe," Sora said ambiguously. "But it's not like you can prove that I've met you before." She reached for the door. "I'm going to go get cleaned up. Thanks for saving me."

* * *

"Chocolate milk, how I loathe you," the Gray muttered as she attempted to wash her sticky auburn hair. Luckily, she had brought spare clothes to change into after the first soccer incident. 

She stared at herself in the mirror. Her wet auburn hair left damp prints on her red shirt.

"You almost look like her, and you almost play soccer as well as her. Hell, you almost smell like her…"

_Who do I remind him of?_ she wondered. _It wasn't like Taichi at all to say things like that, but then again, I don't know him very well…_

"Damn it, Hikari! I told you already not to get into my business!"

"Taichi, she clearly doesn't remember us. Why would you treat her like that?"

Sora opened the girl's restroom door slightly to hear the voices better.

"Because it isn't the Sora we know!"

"It is Sora," the sister answered firmly. "I know it. She probably lost her memory somehow…"

"There's no way…" Taichi punched the wall. "It's not her!"

"Ah!" Sora shrieked as the spontaneous eruption startled her. Hikari slowly opened the door, and Taichi stared at her with his fist still in contact with the wall.

The Gray smiled nervously. "Oh, uh, hello…"

"Ah-chu!" someone sneezed from a corner.

_Eh?_ Sora faced the noise, noticing that familiar figure that had been stalking her since her first day. _That person again!_

"Hey! Where are you going?" Taichi shouted to Sora. He grabbed her shirtsleeve. "How much did you hear?"

"I heard enough," Sora mumbled quickly. "Let me go!" She swiftly gutted him in the stomach, and took off quickly after the spy.

Taichi knelt on the ground, hugging his stomach. "She'll… pay… for that…"

"I can't say I wouldn't have done that…" Hikari sweatdropped.

* * *

"I lost him again!" Sora pouted. "He's sure pretty darn fast… Eh? Where am I?" 

The girl was in a huge courtyard; behind her was Odaiba High School. In front was a new building she had yet to discover. It seemed a bit larger than the high school.

"Aw, c'mon Izumi, I was only kidding!"

"You always say that, Junpei!" a girl replied.

"But I really was kidding!"

Sora took a glance behind a tree, finding that the two students were clearly younger than she was. There was one aspect that caught her attention.

"They're not wearing uniforms…" she whispered to herself. "Why didn't Koushiro tell me?"

"Because they're not from Odaiba High School," a voice said behind her.

"Ahhh," Sora blushed and turned around. "I didn't know you were spying on me, Koushiro-kun."

"What're you doing here?"

"Like I know… I was chasing someone and I ended up here."

The male redhead blinked. "What did they look like?"

"He had..."

"Who're you?" someone interrupted.

Sora and Koushiro both replied, "Huh?"

A young boy with purple hair hidden beneath his jungle green hat stared at them. His brown orbs observed them carefully. "You guys don't look like eighth graders…"

"We aren't," Koushiro replied. "We're juniors over at Odaiba High. You are?"

"The name's Kanbara Takuya of Odaiba Middle School," he said proudly.

"Takuya!" the girl named Izumi called. "Who're you talking to?"

Izumi and Junpei walked up behind Takuya.

"They aren't wearing uniforms!" Izumi smiled. "You two must be Grays!"

"We are," Koushiro blinked. "How do you know about that?"

Junpei crossed his arms. "It's because of your school that ours is becoming segregated!"

"Hey now, it's not like we started it!" Sora defended. "Anyway, if your school consists of Whites and Blacks, you all must be Grays as well."

"There aren't many of us," Koushiro explained. "Only us two plus a senior."

"Only a small population are Grays as well," Izumi sighed. "From our grade level, only five are Grays. There are none in seventh grade and only five from sixth grade."

_They still outnumber us…_ Sora sweatdropped. _They're gonna move onto high school segregated too…_

"But not to worry!" Takuya announced bravely, "We're going to save all of them!"

"Aren't you getting hasty again?" an annoyed voice called.

"Oh no," Junpei rolled his eyes. "It's Minamoto Kouji."

"Those two always fight…"

Takuya glared at the indigo-haired boy. "At least I'm trying to make everyone back to normal!"

"Mm'hm…"

The boy growled. "How annoying…"

"Koushiro!" Sora quickly turned to him. "I've got an idea!"

"Huh?"

"Let's convert the people from out school to Grays as well! With more influence, I'm sure Odaiba Middle School will become less segregated…"

Someone laughed. "Ha! I'd like to see you try!" A girl leapt from the tall cheery blossom tree and landed gracefully onto the ground. She stood up, one arm resting on her waist. "Your confidence is appalling!"

"Who're you?"

"Makino Ruki, leader of the Tamers, but you can call me Kyuubi. I lead the Grays of the sixth grade."

"She has some attitude…" Izumi muttered under her breath.

"I know," Ruki commented, smiling. "Now, let's get down to business."

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

* * *


	4. Trump Card: Tachikawa

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 4

* * *

"Business?" inquired Sora. "So you're going to help us out?" 

"Oh no," the sixth grader shook her head. "I'm not going to help out that easily."

_Figures… a girl with a broken-hearted shirt helping us? Yeah…_ Sora thought sarcastically in her mind.

"This is so weird…" Takuya commented quietly.

"What is?" Izumi asked.

"We're taking orders under a girl who shouldn't have this much authority…"

Ruki snapped, "I heard that. Don't make me hurt you."

"Yes ma'am…"

_Ah, this is going to take a while…_

_

* * *

_

Sora came home with full determination in her mind. Tomorrow, the plan would go well under way. The mission: convert a majority of kids from both sides into Grays. By reaching a goal of three hundred students, Ruki would then pitch her team, the Tamers, into play. According to her, they could be very influential.

"I'm testing to see how well you'll do," Ruki smiled. "Since this wasn't the first attempt…"

"It wasn't the first attempt…" Sora whispered, staring at the ceiling fan. "Who started it…?"

She became worried. If the first attempt hadn't succeeded, what were the chances of succeeding this time? The Gray embraced her pillow, digging her face into comfortable warmth.

**Ring! Ring!**

"Hello?" the redhead rubbed her eyes.

"Are you crazy?" Jyou shouted on the other line. "You're going to change three hundred students into Grays in just a week?'

Sora winced and placed the phone five inches away from her ear. "I'm not deaf, Jyou. And yes, I am planning to do that. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be simple to changed one hundred fifty from each school…"

"Yeah, that's what Mimi thought too."

"What?" Sora became wide-awake. She sat up quickly. "Tachikawa… Mimi?"

"She was a Gray too… You can tell she's into fashion and stuff, right?"

"Heh, yeah…"

"But there was too much pressure… and she couldn't handle all those pranks those kids did to her, so she eventually turned into a White."

_So she's the one Koushiro-kun is sad about…_

"Alright, thanks Jyou. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

**Click.**

Sora held a grin to her face. _Tachikawa Mimi… you're my first target!_

_

* * *

_

"New girl!" Taichi called in the hallway. "Stop right there!"

Sora glanced behind her shoulder. "I don't have time for you!"

The chocolate-haired boy marched towards her and slammed her into the nearest lockers. "I wouldn't repeat that if I were you."

Sora shoved him away, her crimson orbs glaring furiously at him. "I don't have time for you!"

A hand shot out and slammed her into the lockers behind her. A dent formed and her head throbbed. The locker combination lock scraped across her neck. Taichi's hand was placed neatly over her eyes and his fingers nicely fitted over her forehead. His grip tightened. "I warned you."

Sora felt her legs weakened as her head compacted. Her hands grabbed his arm in attempt for release. She gasped as she felt blood slowly strolling down her neck. The Gray did the first thing that came into her mind.

"Digging your nails won't hurt me," the Black sneered. "Now, where are you going that's more important than me?"

"I think a lot of things are more important than you," a calm voice intervened.

Sora slumped to the ground, her eyes focusing upon her savior.

"Ishida…" Taichi said with hatred. "Is this girl important to you?"

"She's nothing to me," Yamato spat. "It's fun to ruin your games."

"I'm touched you'd take the time," he retorted. "Makes me feel respected."

"Yagami-senpai!" Daisuke ran up to him, stopping him from pursuing the Gray. "The soccer team needs you."

Sora's mind went dizzy. _Mimi… where are you?_ Sora wondered. _I need to find you…_ She forced herself up, leaning against the lockers for support. She stumbled through the crowd, until she spotted something out of placed. _Pink hair…_

"Ow!" her high-pitched voice yelped. "Hey, where are you taking me?"

Sora dragged her through the crowd and went into the restroom. "Mimi, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it…?" she asked slowly, checking each stall before turning around to her.

"Do you want to become a Gray again?"

Her chestnut orbs held a short glimmer. "Oh, I don't know, Sora…"

The Gray pleaded. "I know you want to, Mimi! You like wearing your own style, right? That's why you complimented my outfit the first day! You don't like wearing the same thing each day, do you? Ah…"

Sora winced and bent down on her knees. Her fingers found the area on the back of her head that held dry blood.

"Oh my gosh! Sora, what happened?" Mimi gently touched the wound. "Here, let me treat that for you."

Moments later, a nice white bandage was placed on the back of Sora's neck. The pain slowly vanquished.

"Thanks," Sora smiled. "So, how bout it?"

_She's persistent _Mimi sighed. "But Sora, I don't want to go through all that pain and embarrassment again…"

"Okay," Sora nodded in understanding. "How about, if I round up around ten more Grays today, and then have three of them be your body guard? Eventually you'll be able to roam freely if the Gray's population increases."

The White thought for a moment. "Okay, if you get ten Grays, I'll join."

"Yes!" Sora hugged her. "Thanks so much! Now, if I could just have your signature on this piece of paper…"

* * *

"Miyako!" Koushiro called. "Hi!" 

"Oh!" she bowed, "It's so nice to meet you! You're President of the Computer Club! I'm honored!"

"Ehehe," he smiled sheepishly. "How would you like to become a Gray?"

Miyako blinked. "Me?"

"Yep," he nodded. "If you sign here and become a Gray, I promise to promote you to Vice-President of the Computer Club. It'll look great on your college application…"

"Really?" her eyes flashed stars. "Thank you!" she quickly signed.

"Koushiro!" Sora called. "I got a few others… how about you?"

"I just got Miyako in," he gave a thumbs up. "That makes… a total of nine?"

"One more, and Mimi's in," Sora smiled. "I'm off to go find others!"

"Wait, what about Mimi…?" Koushiro asked, but the girl quickly ran off. "…"

Miyako inquired, "Mimi's going to be a Gray? She's so nice! And she can really sing, too!"

"I know…" he smiled. "She might be Sora's trump card."

* * *

"Heads up!" 

"Huh?" Sora glanced up at the soccer ball and quickly gave it a head-butt before it smacked her.

"Oh, it's you," Daisuke glared. "I shouldn't have given you that warning."

_Hmm…_ Sora grinned. "Hey, how about a challenge, Motomiya?"

"No way would I go against a Gray."

"Oh really? I guess you're too chicken for a soccer match…" she slowly turned away.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Wait, what's the challenge?"

"Hehe," she giggled. "Let's go, one-on-one. If I can make three goals before you, you'll agree to sign up and become a Gray."

"And what if you don't win?"

"Then… I'll see what I can do for you," she tilted her head. "Anything you're interested in."

* * *

"Wow, we already have twenty-five Grays!" Jyou pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. 

"Twenty-seven, including Mimi and Daisuke," Sora added, walking in. "How about the other school?"

Koushiro smiled. "They got around fifty-three."

"Wow!" Sora blinked. "They're doing good! How'd they get so many?"

"Takuya mentioned something about having Kouji ask his fan club a favor of becoming a Gray."

"I didn't think he'd do such a thing…"

"Me neither, I guess Izumi convinced him with something…"

Mimi peeked in from behind the door. She appeared in a blue, red, and white shirt with a yellow star in the center. It's length stopped a little above her naval. Her white skirt fell down to her mid-thighs. White matching boots with red straps rolled up to her knees. "How do I look?"

"Amazing…" Koushiro whispered, almost mesmerized.

"What he said," Sora giggled. "I'm surprised your mom was able to drop you off clothes on such short notice!"

"Ah," she blushed. "It's no problem. Anyway, what did you need me for?"

"I want you to sing for your fans," Sora winked. "And then offer an autograph in exchange for becoming a Gray."

* * *

"What the hell?" Taichi nearly fell out of his chair. "What is this?" 

He looked down below the school and saw a crowd assembling before the platform. Mimi stood in the center, with a microphone placed in her hands. "Hello everyone!"

"She's gorgeous!" a girl exclaimed.

A boy whistled. "You're hot!"

"Is she going to sing?"

"I heard she has such a beautiful voice!"

"Hey!" Mimi winked. "How about a song for all you people?"

The crowd cheered, and Taichi stared blankly with his mouth opened. _What is this? _he thought. His eyes unveiled a few Grays in the crowd, amongst the Whites and the Blacks. They weren't fighting… just paying attention to the Tachikawa girl. _And they were against her when she was a Gray…_

Yagami Taichi didn't like it one bit.

"I hope you liked my song…" the singer said timidly.

The boys nearly melted.

"You're so awesome!"

"Hey, I have an idea," Mimi said innocently. "Does anyone want an autograph? A handshake? A… kiss?"

"A kiss?" Koushiro nearly choked on his water. "When was this part of the plan?"

Sora sweatdropped. "I'm sure she means nothing of it."

"Hey, I want a kiss!" a boy shouted.

"Alrighty," she said in a low voice. "But there's a catch. I need you all to sign this paper and…"

The hoard rushed to the paper, nearly biting it off her fingers.

"You'll all become Grays," she smiled, pecking the boy on the cheek. "Isn't this such a good deal?"

The boys nodded feverishly.

"Oh boy…" Koushiro sighed.

"Koushiro!" Taichi demanded. "What's going on here?"

"Well, you see…"

"We're turning the tables," Sora filled in. "I'm converting all of yours and Yamato's people into Grays."

"And I didn't know of this because…"

"Because it's worth it to see your reaction," she stuck her tongue out.

Taichi's eyes widened. "That face…"

"Huh? What face?"

"Is this a challenge?" Yamato inquired from behind. He leaned against the rail coolly, his cerulean eyes gazing down amongst the event. "You're very impressive."

* * *

A student sat in the library researching the student database run by the Computer Club. Everyone had been too preoccupied with the little 'concert' Sora had brought up. 

_Yagami Taichi, Leader of the Blacks. Hair and eye color are chestnut brown, and his skin is fairly tanned. Age is seventeen years old. Proclaimed Captain of the Odaiba High School Soccer Team. His attitude is short and stubborn, but can hold his temper at certain times. He likes to play rough and is strict about deserving respect. He has always grown up in Tokyo._

_Ishida Yamato, Leader of the Whites. Hair is blonde and eyes an amazing hue of blue. Age is also seventeen years old. Leader singer and guitarist in his band, "The Teenage Wolves." Also somewhat involved and high ranked in the Odaiba High School Swimming Team. He keeps to himself, and is quite protective of people at times. He, too, has lived here since he was born._

_Takenouchi Sora, the fairly new girl amongst the Grays. Hair is auburn, and eyes a mysterious tone of crimson. Age is sixteen. Ranked as one of the best soccer players amongst the school and also one of the most athletic. She is quick-minded and stubborn, but is able to control her temper. She has traveled to many places, most previously Paris, France. Her hometown is unknown._

"Hometown is unknown?" the person inquired. "But she's from here!"

"Calm down," the girl next to him whispered. "We'll find out what happened to her."

"I hope so."

* * *

"A challenge sounds good," Sora said confidently. "If I am able to change half this school's population into Grays, you'll both agree to stand up on stage, burn your uniforms, and shake hands proposing the segregation is dead and that you have surrendered your power." 

Taichi's chocolate eyes glared at Yamato, and then rolled over to Sora. "Then if you lose, you will leave this place and never return."

"Give me two months," the redhead met on with the glare. "And we'll see the outcome."

"Fine," Taichi extended his hand. "I'm game."

"Me too," Sora reached out and shook his hand, and then turned to Yamato. "How about it?"

He nodded silently, extending his arm to shake her hand. "Deal."

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**

* * *

**


	5. Kaiser Knuckes: Ichijouji

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 5

* * *

"Deal."

Sora's body shivered as Yamato's hand took hers. His cold temperature startled her a bit, as did his azure orbs that stared sadly at her. Their hands parted; warmth returned to her small hand. Yamato's stayed as cold as ever.

"I'll make sure not to lose any of my devoted followers," Taichi grinned. "Where's Daisuke?" he ordered.

"Sir! I'm afraid… he's turned into a Gray."

The Leader snapped, "WHAT?"

"I don't want to repeat," the black replied meekly. "You're twitching…"

* * *

"TWO MONTHS?" Koushiro gapped at Sora. "You want to change half the school into Gray's in TWO MONTHS?"

"Calm down, no need for the emphasis. I was there, you know," Sora held up her hands in defense. "It shouldn't be that bad, right? You're the strategist."

The male redhead shook his head and sighed, "You're reckless."

"I know," she laughed nervously. "But! It's a new day – a good time to start anew!"

_She's optimistic…_ Koushiro sweatdropped.

There was a knock from the door. Jyou emerged with a clipboard in his hand. "After that concert yesterday, Mimi recruited about forty new Grays. Around fifteen were Blacks and twenty-five were Whites. This makes a total of eighty-two Grays from Odaiba High School, and about seventy-two from Odaiba Middle School." Jyou shifted the bridge of his glasses and tossed the clipboard to Koushiro. "Not bad at all."

"Interesting," Koushiro nodded. "We have around 1200 students at this school. It's about divided evenly in terms of Whites and Blacks. If we get around 300 from each side we should be good. Considering we have two months, we might want to speed things up a little bit. I'm positive Taichi will try and get his members back, it's also good to have the Tamers into gear as well. Ruki, or Kyuubi, challenged us to 300 Grays, but that also include Odaiba Middle School, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright then," Sora jumped up excitedly. "Let's get to work!"

"Something doesn't seem right…" Sora muttered as she walked around the building outside. She stuffed her hands into her slick black trench coat. Her brown boots made a slight click noise against the concrete, creating a foreboding sound in a quiet.

_But it's too quiet…_

"C'mon guys! We gotta run to the basketball court or else the game will start without us!"

Sora tilted her head and focused on the group of boy in front of her. "Hey! You guys turned into Gray's yesterday! Why are you wearing your uniforms?"

The brunette placed an apologetic look on his face. "Because of this." He tilted his head, revealing three streaks of dry blood. "Sorry, Takenouchi, but you kind of forced us into this."

Sora's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Taichi-sempai sent out a secret weapon: Kaiser Knuckles."

"Kaiser Knuckles?"

They nodded. "It's a gang… they wield three blades – like a claw – and then threaten us to return back to normal or else. In the end, they place their mark."

_Nooo…_ her eyes almost filled with tears. _This isn't how it's supposed to be!_

"AHHH!"

The Gray's head swiftly turned towards the scream. It sounded familiar…

"Mimi!" Sora exclaimed, and ran after the noise…

* * *

"Mimi!" the redhead slid to a halt in the hallways. The pink-haired girl was slumped on her knees, her hands covering her face. Blood trickled down her cheeks.

A few Grays, Blacks, and Whites witnessed the horrifying scene. Sora stood in the center, looking at Mimi with her fists clenched.

"It's the new girl," a boy chuckled. He walked up behind Mimi. "This is what you've caused to others. Not very smart, are you?"

"Sora…" Mimi cried. "Get away while you can!"

"You can't escape the Kaiser and his people," the boy pulled her hair, causing her to wince in pain. "The name's Ichijouji Ken, the leader, of course. Feel free to call me Kaiser."

The group of boys behind him chuckled, cracking their knuckles and approaching the other Grays nearby. "If you go back to your color willingly, the least you'll get are three marks," one member offered.

A female Gray hid herself behind a male Gray. "Please don't hurt us!"

"This is what you get for defying the Leaders!"

"Stop it!" Sora cried. The hallway grew silent. "I'll take you on, Ichijouji."

He laughed, "A girl against a guy? Don't screw with me!"

The girl stood up straight, her legs spread out and her arms up about to fight. "Bring it on, then, if you're brave enough."

"You asked for it," he clenched the blades between his fingers and ran towards her.

Sora's cinnamon eyes shut tightly as she felt the tips of the blades scrape her skin. She could slightly feel the blood travel down her cheek. The wound throbbed as she wiped the blood away with her arm.

"You didn't even dodge it," the Kaiser muttered. "What are you thinking?"

"It's true that girls are weaker… regardless, your job is to hurt everyone who's a Gray, right?" she turned on her heel and met face-to-face with Ichijouji. "Then I'll take all their scratches here and now as long as you swear not to hurt them!"

* * *

Ishida Yamato tapped his pen against his desk. His was getting impatient. "You know, I'm getting tired of this game."

"_If we leave her be, she'll catch up, you know. People can't risk that."_

"Life isn't fair," the blonde replied icily. "You and I both know that."

"_Heh, well, it seems things are getting interesting down here. Your little piyo (bird) is very brave. Why don't you come here in Hall B?"_

Immediately, Yamato slammed the phone down and rushed out the door.

* * *

"Sora, what are you thinking?" Koushiro pushed through the crowd. "Have you gone nuts?"

She placed her hands behind her back and closed her eyes. "I got these people hurt because I forced them to become Gray. This is the least I can do."

"Nice," the Kaiser smirked. "Make sure you don't move, or else you'll have a permanent scar. Wouldn't want to ruin your pretty face now, would we?"

The Grays whispered amongst themselves.

"She's taking the hit for us?"

"She's so brave…"

Ken coughed and scrolled his eyes to the group of Grays. "Prepare for twenty-five scratches."

Yamato panted as he stood in the back of the crowd. His eyes widened at the sight.

"Twenty!" Sora shouted, receiving another blow on the face.

Ken stopped short as the blades lightly touched against her cheek. "I give up, this is boring if you just stand there." He looked over his shoulder to Taichi, who was sitting on the windowsill. "I'm done here, Yagami-sama. This is a waste of my time. These people are worthless."

"Whatever…" he growled. He jumped off and disappeared into the crowd.

"Sora! I'm so… proud of… you…" Mimi's eyes fluttered and she fell forward. Koushiro quickly caught her. "I guess she's not too tolerant of blood…"

The Gray smiled, "I guess not…" Her face heated up. Immediately, her legs became weak and she fell back into someone's arms.

"You're going to the nurse," Yamato said calmly. "You're reckless."

_As if I haven't heard that enough times…_ Sora's vision blurred. "And you save me once again…"

Unfortunately, she wasn't awake when he revealed a tint of red on his cheeks.

* * *

** Flashback **

_Sora stood in a meadow, admiring the assortment of plants and flowers surrounding her. On her head she adorned a small flower crown made of daisies. She appeared to be only about six years old._

_"Thanks… for being here with me on my brithday. I really like being around you…"_

_Her shining ginger eyes turned to the right, but there was no one there._

** End Flashback **

_Who am I talking to?_ Sora's eyes blurred as she awoke, soon focusing on the blue-haired boy. "Jyou?"

"Glad to see you're back," he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess," she sat up, her hands stroking her cheek. "I guess I took too many scratches, huh?"

He chuckled. "Same with Mimi… she was awake earlier. She went home since it was getting dark."

She turned her attention to the students behind him. "Hmm?"

"Um…" a Gray spoke up, "thanks for saving us today… you're awesome!"

Applause filled the room, causing the girl to blush. She noticed how most of them were basketball team members.

"You were so cool!"

"Admirable!"

The team leader stepped up. "We've become Grays, permanently. Don't get too cocky though, it's only cause we've been discussing for a while how worthless it is to always go against the same people. It's not much of a challenge. Basketball is basketball, why don't we all just enjoy it? We haven't had the guts to do this until you came along. So, thanks."

Sora nodded, smiling brightly. _That's definitely 26 members…_

* * *

"I have to say, I'm impressed," Jyou stated as he walked with Sora. "I didn't think you'd actually go this far. Luckily, there are students beginning to speak out for themselves."

She nodded. "I'm happy that there's more purpose in this." She gave him a thumbs-up and winked.

He smiled back. "I'm glad too. Oh yeah, Ruki wanted to speak with you tomorrow morning in the courtyard. She seems happy the way things are going."

"That's good, maybe the Tamers can step into play."

He nodded. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Nah, it's alright," she waved. "I need to go my locker quick to get some books for class. Bye!"

The boy waved and went the opposite direction. She ran to her locker and placed in her combination. A putrid odor emitted from inside.

"If you know it smells bad, don't open it."

_Sorry, Ishida-kun, I have to open it someday_.

"What the!" Sora refrained herself from cursing. "Gross!"

Rotten fruit and vegetables fell out from her locker. She found a note posted on the back of her locker door.

**Takenouchi Sora, prepare to leave this school! We will prevail. – Anonymous.**

"Lovely," the Gray muttered sarcastically. "I feel wanted."

However, there was another note, stained from the rotten food. Apparently this was slipped in through the slits of her locker door.

**Takenouchi Sora – we will make you remember us! – Anonymous.**

"…" She stared dumbfounded at the letter. "That's interesting."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Unexpected Ally

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 6

* * *

Sora stared at the two notes which were placed nicely on her desk. One was imprinted with neat, obviously female handwriting, as they had dotted their i's with hearts. The other was written in a slightly messier handwriting; it was ambiguous which gender had written it. 

An overwhelming feeling swept over the Gray. There was fear in what would come next; however, there was an excitement on her next challenge: Resist the trials forcing her to leave and to find out who was probing her memory.

* * *

Izumi strolled through courtyard, making her way to a cherry blossom tree that stood in an obscure corner. A smile formed on her lips as her aqua eyes perched onto the boy she was looking for. "Found you," she sang happily. 

The boy scoffed at her cheery-ness. He looked away and muttered, "What do you want?"

"You're so mean, Kouji," she pouted. "Anyway, we have to go scout for more Grays-to-be. You're pretty good when it comes to asking the girls…"

"I'd rather not," he stated firmly. "It's getting tiring."

"But we've gotten so far!" she exclaimed. "You can't stop now."

He challenged, "And why not?"

"Well… then we can stop the violence between the two clans. And then we won't be segregated anymore… and…"

"Maybe later, if you stop giving me the same reasons…"

The blonde walked over and pinched his ear, dragging him away from his quiet spot. "No, we're going to start now!"

"Ow!" he cried. "I get it, I get it! Let go!"

* * *

"Hey there, don't you have some money to give us?" a Black taunted a small White. 

"Yeah," his friend said, "C'mon, little squirt, give us the dough!"

The small White closed his eyes as the started to tackle him and steal his wallet.

"Score!"

"Not so fast!" Sora said from the building's roof. She stood victoriously on the rail with a camcorder on her right hand. "I don't think stealing is a smart move. Chiro, you're applying to University of Tokyo, aren't you? And Yoko, isn't your girlfriend's father a police officer?"

"Damn!" Chiro cursed. "How do you know that?"

"Piece of cake for a mind like me," Koushiro said as he leaned against the rail. "Now, if you don't to lose your ineligibility or your girlfriend, respectively, I would agree to be a Gray if I were you."

"Argh, this way is so worthless!"

Sora tilted her head, "Maybe. We've got most of the bullies down, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

"Don't forget your personal reputations," Koushiro grinned.

The two Blacks gave in.

"Excellent," the female Gray smiled.

"Excuse me," the small boy said meekly. "But you're the one who saved me from Taichi-senpai, right? On the soccer field?"

She thought for a moment, and recalled that she had challenged Taichi and set him free from any injuries. "That's right! You haven't been bullied by him, have you?"

"No, but I would like to become a Gray…"

"Hold on, I'll be right down! Let's go, Koushiro."

* * *

"His name was Hida Iori," Koushiro told Jyou. "And we got some other students too. First were two bullies, then Iori, and then six girls came up to Sora and asked to be her followers." 

"Amazing," Jyou looked at the spreadsheet. "At this rate, we'd have way more Grays in 3 weeks!"

"Prodigious, I know," the redhead smiled. "Sora's doing a good job. By the end of next week, Ruki will probably step in."

Jyou pondered, "I wonder what she'll do…"

* * *

"Hey, we goin' out tonight or what?" Mimi chimed. "Let's go Karaoke!" 

Izumi giggled. "Figures. I heard you're so good at singing."

"Yeah, that concert was great!" Miyako smiled.

The pink-haired girl blushed. "Thanks girls!"

They nodded happily. "Where's Sora and the rest of the Grays comin' out tonight?"

"I'm here," Sora said from behind.

"Us too!" cheered the Grays following her. "Let's party!"

* * *

Soda pops, pastries, and junk food were scrambled across the table in their little private room of FUEL, a club for mostly teenagers their age. In their room, there was a medium-sized flat-screen TV for entertainment or for karaoke. Mimi was standing on a small table with a microphone in hand. A few boys and girls were gathered around to hear her singing. In another corner, Sora, Koushiro, and Jyou were discussing recruiting plans for the week. 

"Since the bullies around have been converting a few Grays back to their color, we have about 52 Grays from this school and 62 from Odaiba Middle School. That totals 114 Grays. Takuya mentioned that Ruki brought down the limit to 200 Grays, so that will be a lot less to get for her assistance," Koushiro explained. "Also, we have not tallied the number of bullies we converted yet."

"Because the deal was the majority of Grays in the High School, if each Gray from our school gets at least 2 people per week, we should reach about 156 Grays by next week. If both school commit to that, we'll total to 328 Grays," Jyou calculated. "Pretty good, since we have a month and a half left. So if there are any mistakes, we'll have time to recuperate."

Sora nodded. "That's good. I think if we clear out the bullies next week, it'll be easier to recruit Grays."

The two boys nodded in agreement.

"C'mon, Koushiro!" Mimi jumped over hyperactively. "Come sing with us!" she placed an arm around him and dragged him to the microphone

His cheeks tinted of red. "Uh, no, Mimi! That's okay. I don't karaoke."

"No fun…" she cried. "C'mon, you can sing with me!"

"I'm afraid my voice would devastate your in-tune singing."

* * *

In the end, Koushiro ended up singing quite well with Mimi, a surprise to everyone. 

"Let's sing some more…" Mimi cried, tugging Sora's arm.

"It's getting late, and we have school tomorrow, remember? It's Sunday, not Saturday," Sora tried to take a step forward, but Mimi's strength was great. "Let goooo."

"Ah," Koushiro scratched behind his head. "Mimi, I'll escort you home, in case some of the Whites are around."

"Eh? Well, it's alright, my house is only a few blocks down…"

"It's fine. You said you wanted bodyguards when you turned Gray, right?" he smiled.

Mimi smiled weakly. "I suppose so…"

"I need to return some books in the local library, so I'll need to be heading the other way," Sora explained, bowing to the group that was still left. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"Be careful," Jyou warned.

She flashed a smile. "I know."

Koushiro walked with Mimi down the crowded streets. His eyes caught hold of two people in front of the cinema. _Ishida and Yagami? Inconceivable!_

And indeed, the two adversaries passed, and muttered a few words to each other in front of the movie theater. It seemed they had some serious conversation, though nothing violent emerged.

"Koushiro?" Mimi poked the boy. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" He snapped back his attention to the girl. "Yeah, sorry, just thought I saw someone I knew."

* * *

"Okay!" Sora said triumphantly. She had returned the borrowed books before the due date, so now she wouldn't have to worry about the fees. 

The girl glanced at her watch beneath a lamppost. "9:47 PM." She told herself. "I should be home in 10 minutes if I take the shortcut."

She began to walk, until she heard knuckles cracking and chuckles from the nearby alley. It was dark, so she couldn't take a glimpse of the people. She wondered if she should take the route, yet curiosity roused her. In the end, this was the path she had to take in order to reach home the quickest.

"Yo! Red," a boy taunted. "Looks like you're here alone. How unfortunate for you."

The girl took a step back, but never let her guard down. "Who are you?"

Suddenly, lampposts flickered on. Sora could see the gang more clearly.

"That's for you to figure out," another boy said, his blonde hair spiked upwards as if it could stab someone.

_Could these people be the gang that was assembled to scare me away?_ Sora thought about the note she had received a few weeks ago.

She let her guard down the moment she had pondered this. Two of the boys had come up from behind her and pushed her into the alley.

A brunette knocked her down, placing both her arms behind her. Another boy pinned her feet down against the ground. She couldn't move.

"We're to take her out so she can't go to school tomorrow, right?"

One scolded him, "You moron, don't give away our mission!"

"Who sent you?" she asked, though not very loudly as her lungs were pressed against the cement.

"Quiet!" the brunette smacked her head. "Or else the pain will hurt more."

"Hey! New girl!" a very familiar voice called.

Sora looked up to the tone and saw Yagami Taichi, leaning calmly against the wall. "I'm not that new!"

"Yeah yeah," he waved his hand and dismissed her statement. He jumped in front of her, bending down as the gang stared. "You're in some position, Piyo."

"Don't call me that either!"

"Oh, well, too bad, Piyo. It's not my fault you got pink feathers stuck to you that day and looked like a bird."

_Yes it was! _She thought angrily. "Were you the one who sent them?"

"What? I'm not with them at all," Taichi said.

She didn't believe him. "Yeah, right! I bet you wrote that message in girly handwriting to conceal your identity, so I wouldn't be on the lookout for guys!"

"What message? It just coincidence that I passed by here."

The brunette lost his temper. "Hey you! SCRAM!"

"Hmm," the Black leader stood and placed his hands behind his head. "Well, bye then!"

The girl cried, "You're going to listen to what they say? EVEN IN MY POSITION?"

"Well then, why don't you say, 'Oh Taichi, please save me! I'll do anything you ask since you've saved my life!'?"

"You've got to be kidding," Sora said flatly.

The boy ruffled her hair. "Well then, dear Piyo, you're pretty screwed, right?"

"I told you to leave, dumbass!" a redhead punched the boy to the ground.

A vein popped on Taichi's forehead. "Why, you!" He returned the assault with a kick into the stomach and brought a fist down onto the boy's head. "That'll teach you to mess with me!"

The mop-head turned on his foot and high-kicked another boy who had been approaching from behind. He then made a move to punch and knock-out three other boys.

_Ah, even for a stubborn fellow, I see how he can be a leader now. After watching this, I can tell he didn't impose all his strength on me. I would've been dead!_ Sora was amazed at the sight.

Taichi finished the last of the boys, sliding his hands against each other to wipe the dirt off. "Child's play."

"You're arrogant," she muttered.

"What's that?" he glanced over to her. "You want to wipe the dirt of my shoulders, the one who saved your life?"

"No, not at all."

"Hey you!" a new boy called, with a few of his friends behind. "Looks like you made quite a mess."

"Damn, he called for his friends," Taichi mumbled. "Not good."

"H-hey!" Sora took a step a little behind the Black leader, "Why don't you go beat them and…"

"Idiot, there's too many of them for me. I can't take this many on at once."

Her heart thumped loudly. "So… what do we do?"

"RUN!"

Taichi started on his rampage, and Sora followed behind. "Nooo!"

"Don't let them get away!" a boy shouted.

"Why does this happen to me?" Sora cried. "Are you sure you didn't send them?"

He snapped at her, "IDIOT! Why would I be running my ass off right now?"

The two temporary allies ran behind another small alley. Taichi panted and wiped his perspiration away. "Damn it… not good." He sat down on one knee and his hands pressed against the other.

"Injury?" Sora questioned surprisingly. "What's wrong? Did you get hurt?"

"It's one from the past," Taichi explained. "I've exhausted my legs too much. You should run for now, or else they'll catch you."

"But…"

"Just go!" he looked at her straight in the eyes. "I'll recover after I stay still for a while."

Her eyes seemed to be dancing with flames. She ran the other direction.

"Wait, not that way!"

She skidded into view of the gang pursuing them. "Oops… Wrong turn. Though I bet you can't catch me!"

"Get her!"

* * *

Taichi had been recovering for about 5 minutes when Sora returned. 

"I've lost them," she panted. "Hurry, let's go. I'll help you."

"You expect me to cry and say thanks?" he glared.

"No. I could care less of what happens to you. However, since you did save me earlier, I'm not just gonna run away like a coward."

He stayed silent. She leaned down and placed his arm around her shoulder, helping him stand up. "Why do I have to be helped by the likes of you…"

_That's my line_ Sora thought numbly. _You're the one who saved me first, how embarrassing._

They stopped by a bridge. The sounds of the water below seemed to calm both of them down.

"Hey…" Sora asked. "What did you mean when you said I reminded you of a girl you knew from a long time ago?"

He looked away. "It's nothing. The girl I knew wasn't as stupid as you."

She clenched her fists. "You--! Hey!"

Taichi lifted her up, bridal-style, and did the unthinkable.

He threw her over the bridge and into the water.

"…!" Sora was screaming in her mind. _DUMBASS! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!_ However, she did see him follow after her. She splashed into the water, and soon he landed next to her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he covered it so she could not speak.

"Are you sure they were here?" a boy asked.

"I really did seem them…"

"Look more carefully! Let's hurry!"

Sora was dazed. "I really thought I would die…"

"Dying was more likely up there!" Taichi scolded.

"So? Don't just pick me up and throw me over like a piece of trash or something!"

Both swam over to the grass slope. Sora spread her arms out as the water dripped into the ground. "Man, we're all wet now…"

* * *

The redhead opened her eyes slowly. The room was dim; only a slit of light pierced through the window between the curtains. Her body was aching. 

"What time is it…?" she placed a hand to her head, "Where am I?"

She then noticed an arm was behind her, on the pillow she had rested on. She looked to her right and saw Yagami Taichi next to her.

He had no shirt on.

… _What's going on?_ Sora's eye began to twitch. _WHAT HAPPENED?_

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

  



	7. The Masquerade

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 7

* * *

Calm down Sora, it's okay. It's perfectly normal that there's a guy with no shirt next you. Yeah, it's not important that he's one of your worst enemies ever, oh, and the fact that he beats you up a lot… 

The hairs on the back of her neck certainly stood as Taichi shifted in bed. His arm slung over her waist.

_I wonder if this can count as unconscious sexual harassment?_ She shook her head. _Stay focused! Okay… what happened? We were being chased by some guys… and he threw me into the river…_

**Flashback**

"_What're we going to do?" Sora whined. "My clothes are all wet!"_

"_I have a relative's place nearby, we can crash there for the night," the boy began walking without getting her consent._

**End Flashback**

It was then she recalled that she had showered first, and then passed out onto the bed.

Taichi stood up, his drowsy eyes staring at her.

"Uhh…" Sora's eye twitched. "Hi?"

He shuffled out of bed, dragging his feet to the bathroom, brushing his teeth, and then drinking some bottled water. Sora stared at him, until his eyes grew big.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

"Slow," she muttered.

"Oh right, yesterday…" he nodded.

The girl sat up and brought some of the covers to her. "Thank you for letting me stay here. And hey, listen… I just wanted to make sure… that…" Her cheeks heated up. "Nothing happened last night, right?"

The boy tilted his head back and then stared straight at her face. "You were… much wilder than I thought." _The way she looks when she sleeps._ "And louder, too." _Her sleep talking._

"…" Sora turned very pale and exploded, "YOU JERK!"

The next thing Taichi knew, a table was thrust with great force onto him. "OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

"I'm going to tell the police… you don't do THAT KIND OF STUFF when a person's sleeping!"

"Why the hell would I do something like THAT with you?" he retorted. "I was KIDDING, dumbass." _Misinterpretation…_

_

* * *

_

Sora stormed into the classroom, taking a seat next to Mimi.

Mimi arched a brow at the red-faced girl. "Wow, girl, you look like someone blew your fuse."

"Yeah, well…" Sora felt something move as she placed her books in her desk. A snapping noise could be heard.

"EEEK!" Mimi screamed. She scurried to the corner of the room. "Sora, what're you doing!"

The gray scooted back, her hands gripped to her seat and staring at her plant-infested desk. "What the…"

"She struck!"

"She's a bit late on timing, too." Someone declared.

"Ivy," someone whispered.

Koushiro tapped her shoulder. "Check inside the desk for the note."

_In that?_ Sora shuddered, but reached in anyway. She felt the roots of the plant spread over her arm. "OW! It has thorns!" She retreated her hand, and along with it was a letter that seemed to be torn.

**Congratulations, you're invited to my masquerade party. You better be there. The address is on the back, see you later. – Ivy**

* * *

"Who's Ivy?" Sora inquired Koushiro. 

"A bully, and a very cruel one at that. She's been known to manipulate people very well. She's called Ivy because of all the mysterious vicious plants she employs on her victims."

The redhead scrunched her nose. "This is dumb, why would she invite me to her party?"

"Don't forget, you're very popular now since you've converted so many people. It's probably a trap to get rid of you."

"Then I'll know what to expect. If we take her down, lots of girls will probably turn Gray."

"I don't know, Sora, she's tough…"

"Alice! Wait!" a young redhead ran to keep up with a girl.

Sora and Koushiro leaned against the windowsill on the second floor. They looked down in the courtyard.

"You're too slow, Juri," the blonde girl replied coldly. "Can't you see that if you can't keep up, you'll only get yourself hurt?"

"But I left my puppet behind in class so I had to get it…" the redhead held up her right hand. As told, her yellow puppet covered her hand neatly.

"Alice looks much older than Juri, what grade is she in?"

"Sophomore, I think Juri's from the middle school… they must be childhood friends or something."

"She's so rude to her," Sora scoffed.

Alice smoothened her black skirt and tightened her high ponytail. "Juri, grow up."

"I'm… sorry…" Juri looked down at the ground. "But, you gave it to me when we were little…"

"Yeah, but we're older now Juri, get over it!" the cold girl stomped away, leaving her 'friend' behind.

* * *

Yamato walked down the halls, his hands stuffed neatly in his pockets. He azure eyes caught those of the smaller girl with the same piercing blue color. Her black uniform clashed with her pale blonde hair. 

"If I could handle her then, then I can handle her now." She mumbled with a grin. Her eyes glanced for a moment as they intercepted each other.

His ears registered her words, and immediately his fists clenched. When he turned the corner, he ran straight into someone, catching him off balance.

"Sorry!" the girl muttered, grabbing all her papers off the ground. "Oh, Yamato…?"

The boy was stoic, kneeling down to help her without saying a word. A shiny piece of paper marked "invitation" caught his eye. He picked it up and stared at the statement. "You're going?"

"Yes, I am…"

"Idiot, can't you tell it's a trap?"

"Listen, I need to bring her down and get more Grays." She snatched the paper back into her possession. "After that, I'm going to find out… about this note," she handed him the piece of paper that referred to her memory. "Goodbye, Yamato."

* * *

"You know, Mimi's really good at last minute dress preparation…" Sora chuckled as she walked through the crowd. Koushiro was also dressed up nicely, a mask placed on the bridge of his nose that veiled his identity. Sora's masquerade mask was decorated with pink feathers to match her pink gown. "Though I think I did too much just to walk into a trap…" 

Koushiro stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Alice is very rich, and not to mention spoiled. Her parents left her alone with this big house because they couldn't stand her anymore."

"Hello everyone," Alice stood calmly at the podium. She donned a gothic black dress; its borders were aligned with pure white laces. On top of her hair she wore a black and white headdress, adorned with two resilient red roses on each end. "Thank you for attending my masquerade party. I have a lot of stuff planned for tonight."

Sora felt Alice's cold eyes fall on her. There was definitely something bad brewing.

"But most importantly, I would like to introduce someone you may all already know. My dear rival from elementary school, the goody-good girl that everyone was annoyed of. The girl who's here now, causing more trouble than before. Who knew she'd be back, and with such a temper?" Her black boots clicked annoyingly at the ground.

Sora frowned. _Am I supposed to know her? What's with these people? Is she one of the people who wrote that they would bring my memory back?_

Suddenly, Sora's world went black as a sack covered her head. Her arms were forced behind her, and her body was slammed into the ground. "What is this!"

"Takenouchi Sora," Alice said with poison in her voice. "No one will be more threatening than me, not even you. The person people will fear is not the Gray girl, but the girl known as Ivy."

"You know, if you were just going to hurt me because of your reputation, you're pretty messed up!" the Gray muttered. _Koushiro, where are you?_

"It's not only that," the blonde girl giggled. "I do believe you bothered my boyfriend last night, and he wants payback."

"That's right," a familiar husky voice said, "I would attack Yagami first, but you know what they say: ladies first."

Sora clenched her teeth as a foot began to crush her back. Her chest pressed against the ground, barely preventing any air.

"I really wouldn't do that, Zack," Sora's savior proclaimed. Peering through the holes of the bag, she saw Koushiro leaning over the second-floor rail. He had a camcorder in his hand. "This camera is recording everything happening. Everything you say and do is being transmitted to your parents at this moment."

Sora took the opportunity to strike. She swiftly thrust her leg to her left, allowing the grasp over her hands to be free. She knocked one of her arms behind her, causing Zack to lose his balance. The girl pushed herself off the ground and removed the sack. She ran up the stairs, giving a thumbs-up to Koushiro. "Nice work."

Alice broke into a sweat. Suddenly her reputation was going down the drain. After watching this, her parents would definitely take the house and money away from her. "Takenouchi, you'll pay!" She strolled down the podium steps, reaching down at her boots. In her hands now was a shining dagger, sharp and lethal.

"She's nuts!" Koushiro exclaimed. "Sora, behind you!"

"What?" the girl turned around, only to meet with a blade coming towards her. Sora couldn't move; she only stood there, closing her eyes shut. Surprisingly, Koushiro had leapt and pulled her down to avoid the blade.

"Sora, are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine…" Opening one eye, she saw a masked person stand in front of her. The person wore a cloak and a hood, concealing the color of their hair. In their hand was clenched around the blade, bleeding.

A deep voice was revealed. "Be careful next time," Her savior muttered as he threw down the blade. He fled from the scene. Minutes later the police arrived, arresting the gang members and Alice…

_I wonder who that was…_ Sora's head felt dizzy. Her hand reached out to grab him, but she fell back into darkness.

_**Flashback**_

_"Hey, are you alright?" the little Sora asked. She was swinging slowly on the playground._

"_Mm," the voice answered. But no one was there._

"_Didn't I say I'd protect you? You better keep going to school!" _

_There was silence, and then, "I know. But I don't like those kids…"_

_She looked to her left, where the other swing was. Empty. It was moving slowly, though there was no wind. "So what? I'll be there for you!"_

"_You won't always be there, you know." The voice answered coldly, "No one will always be there…"_

_The girl jumped off the sing angrily, stalking to the left and grabbing the chains. "Why don't you look at me when you speak?" _

_And for a brief second, a pair of azure eyes gazed back at her._

**End Flashback**

**

* * *

To Be Continued….**

* * *


	8. Queen of the Whites

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 8

* * *

"She's awake!"

"No… I think she's just mumbling again."

Another voice whispered, "Maybe we should leave?"

"But I want to hear what else she'll say!"

Sora lifted an arm out and smacked someone in the face. "OW!"

"Oh, sorry," the redhead mumbled. "I almost didn't mean to hit you."

"Sora seems to be normal," Mimi rubbed her cheek. "How many fingers am I holding?"

"I'm fine, Mimi," Sora rolled her eyes. "Where am I?"

"My house, since it was nearby," a meek voice replied. "My name's Juri… I'm sorry for Alice's behavior."

"I really don't see why you're apologizing," the girl said sternly. "Alice didn't seem to treat you with respect either."

"But she's always been like that, Sora. Don't you remember in elementary school?"

"Juri, this is the first time I've ever lived in Odaiba, are you sure you got the right Sora?"

Juri felt her heart stung with she heard that statement. "You don't… remember me?"

Sadly, Sora shook her head. "I don't… think so, sorry. To be honest, a few people have asked me, I guess you guys were thinking of someone else."

"What other girl named Sora would have naturally red hair like yours?" Juri cried and ran out of the room.

Sora's cinnamon eyes looked to the ground. "Mimi, why can't I remember?"

"I… don't know," she stammered. "I can't help you with that question."

_I need to find the people who want my memory back._

_

* * *

_

"Koushiro," Sora observed the handwriting on the billboard. "Who's handwriting is this?"

"Uh…" the boy sweatdropped. "Do you really expect me to recognize that?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I would assume that by the signature on the bottom of the page, Takaishi Takeru wrote it."

Her eye twitched. "Oh… I see. And where would I find him?"

"Perhaps in the gym, because this is a basketball list."

"Right!" she laughed nervously. "Good to see you're on your game!"

"I'm worried to see that you're not…"

_This handwriting… Looks like the one from my locker_ she sweatdropped, wishing she hadn't given Yamato the note a few days ago. _I'll go get it first before I jump into anything._

_

* * *

_

Jyou nearly dropped all the files in his hands when Sora barged in through the doors. In front of her was her target: Ishida Yamato.

"I… need a word with you!" She pointed at the boy, who looked confused. She strolled on over, waving to Jyou before slamming her hands on her desk. "I need my note back."

Jyou slipped out of the room during the brief silence.

Yamato rested his cheek against his palm. "What note?"

Sora nearly lost her balance. "What note? The one I handed you the other day when I ran into you!"

"Oh, I think I threw it away."

"What gave you the idea to do that?" she cried. "I needed that note!"

"Sorry," he said emotionlessly. "You didn't exactly tell me to save it."

She caught a glimpse of something off-color in his hand. Immediately she grabbed his wrist and pulled it down.

"Hey!" he twitched. "Let go!"

A band-aid was placed neatly on his skin. "You were the one who saved me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped and pulled his wrist back.

"Thank you…" she smiled and left the room.

Yamato leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Why do you keep appearing before me? Could it be that you're saving me again…?"

* * *

"There's someone I found who might be valuable in converting Grays," Koushiro typed on his keyboard. "This student right here," he pulled up an image and a profile of him.

"Takaishi… Takeru?" she tilted her head. "I thought we converted all the basketball players!"

"Yes, but he hasn't converted from being a White. A lot of people respect him for his skills, and I think he has a female fan club which I'm sure will change if he does. Besides, weren't you asking about him earlier?"

She nodded, and then left for the gym.

* * *

"Hey, it's the Gray that's been causing us trouble!" a few students snickered. "It's safer to stay White than Gray. Maybe we should teach her a lesson?"

"You were the ones who agreed that it shouldn't matter what color uniform you were!" Sora argued. She stepped back from the mob and bumped into someone. _Crap._

"Now now, you know better than to gang on a girl like that," a young voice said. "Real men would challenge her."

"Takeru!" the boys stuttered. "She was the one who started all this trouble!"

_Takeru?_ "OH!" Sora twirled around. "You're the one I needed to talk to!"

He sweatdropped, "Well, okay… here, let's talk somewhere else."

"Did you um, wrote me a note?"

"I don't recall," he said carelessly. "I'm sure I've written a lot of notes."

"I would show you what it looked like, but Yamato was an idiot and threw it away…"

"That's unfortunate," the boy scratched his head. "Sorry I can't help you."

She sighed, "It's fine… Hey, why are you being so nice?"

"You… really don't remember, huh?" He leaned against a wall. "I guess if you still don't remember, you really messed up your head."

The girl scowled. "That's not very nice… Anyway, so you did write me the note."

"You could say that," he placed his hands behind his head.

"What are you trying to pull? You could answer the question more straight-forward, you know!"

"You used to watch over me," he said sadly. "You used to watch over all of us."

"Huh?" Sora was taken aback by his sudden change in tone. "Are you sure you have the right Sora?"

"I know I have the right Sora… no one could forget a girl like you," he said affirmatively. "Are you sure… nothing happened to you? Nothing to make you have amnesia or something?"

The girl thought hard. "I did hit my head once," she pointed to the left side of her head. "Right here… a long time ago I fell off a tree…"

The boy nearly fell out of his chair. "Oh, okay… I don't really think you can lose much memory that way…"

"It was a really tall tree."

"You probably almost died, huh?"

"Probably…"

"… I was… being sarcastic."

"I know," Sora smirked. "Well, if you really want me to remember so much… how about we make a deal?"

"Is it really morally right to make a deal with this type of situation?" Takeru sweatdropped.

"I'll try my best to get my memories back, and you convert to a Gray. Not bad, right?"

"I refuse," the blonde boy replied. "It's not really a win-win situation… because I don't know if you'll ever remember anything. Get back to me when you remember who all your friends are…" he opened the door, motioning her to leave. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, accepting his refusal. "You're pretty smart, hm? Well, see you later, then!"

She ran off to the roof of the school, trying to recall anything from her past years. Nothing past 2nd grade would return. _But isn't it normal to not remember anything when someone's so young?_

"You!"

Sora nearly lost her balance. "Huh?"

"Stay away from Yamato!" the girl screamed. "Why are you so important to him?"

"Jun?" the Gray felt her heart twist as she saw her adversary fall to her knees. "Jun… what're you talking about?"

"I've sent out possibly the best people… First I prompted Ichijouji to do it… then I sent Zack, and then his girlfriend Alice; your rival from elementary school. What went wrong? Why does Yamato always save you?" she cried. "Why are you taking him away from me?"

Sora kneeled down next to the cheerleader. "The thing about Yamato and me… are you taking it seriously? There's nothing between him and me! Is that why… you send me the note?"

"Shut up, you annoying brat…"

The Gray looked out the gates surrounding the roof. "I'm sorry if I caused trouble for you, because I didn't mean it. I'm not trying to stop anything between you and Yamato. I was friends with him when I was little…" _Even though I don't remember it._

Jun took a few deep breaths. "Yamato protected me when I was in 6th grade, you know. I was a victim to a group of girls who bullied me. Because a guy confessed his love for me, the girls hated me, and envied me for my beauty."

_Has she lost herself again?_ she sweatdropped.

"Whenever the girls would hit me, Yamato came up and attacked them with a broom, chasing them until they were out of my sight. He was my knight in shining armor." Jun's eyes glittered with stars. "Eventually, I started following him around. During Valentine's Day and his birthday, I gave him chocolates. However, every one he got from a girl he'd thrown away, so I told him to do it at home and not in front of me..."

_Why is she telling me this?_

"When we entered high school, we started talking normally, but he was still cold to me. I wanted him to open up to me. But you see, Takenouchi, not even you can do it."

"Jun, I'm sure you can accomplish this…" she gave her a reassuring, or so she thought, thumbs-up. "I have… a goal to accomplish too."

/ Get back to me when you remember who all your friends are… /

"Yours isn't impossible, like mine is…" Sora added. "So I believe in you!"

"Don't give me crap like that," Jun glared. "You don't know what you're talking about. GET LOST!"

"I'm sorry!" she stammered, wincing as Jun shut the door.

Jun passed someone as she ran down the stairs.

"I did eat all the chocolates," the boy said coolly. "I didn't throw them away."

Tears began to stream down Jun's face as she came to a stop. "You liar… you didn't eat them…!"

"But you know… I can never look at you that way," Yamato said coldly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Sorry." The sound of his footsteps faded away.

Jun stood in the empty hallway, trying to wipe away the tears that kept strolling down her face. "It would have been better… if you had just been cold to me all the way…"

* * *

"Jun seems to be going through a lot," Jyou told Sora. "She seems so distracted."

"Takenouchi!"

"Eh? Jun…"

"Sorry about my temper the other day," the redhead mumbled.

"It's fine," Sora smiled.

_How can she accepted an apology to a girl who told her to get lost? _Jyou twitched.

The Gray's eyes widened. "Motomiya… no uniform?"

"I hope… we'll get along."

"Yay!" Sora leaped in the air and hugged Jun. "I'm going to tell everyone right now!" True to her word, the girl ran off with a puff of smoke trailing behind her.

"So what made you change your mind?" Jyou inquired.

"It wasn't because Koushiro threatened me when I sent those people after her… I chose myself. Is the school really safe with a simple-minded girl like her leading the Grays?"

Jyou chuckled, "Isn't that her strong point?"

"… I guess."

Taichi looked down through the 2nd floor window, eyeing Jun who was no longer in her white uniform. "They got the Queen of the Whites… that's something." He smirked, pressing away from the window. _But not enough, Takenouchi-chan…_

_

* * *

_

**To Be Continued…**

* * *


	9. Daughter of the Kamiya Clan

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 9

* * *

"There was in increase in Grays, since Jun turned to one of us," Koushiro examined. "Good work, Sora!" 

She waved her hands, "Ahh, I'm sure it wasn't that much."

"You got the entire cheerleading squad," Jyou smiled. "And some girls… who are very devoted to Jun."

Jun walked up to them. "Hey guys."

"Jun!" Sora chirped happily, as if they were never rivals in the first place. "Your change helped our cause a lot!"

"That's good to know," she said in an uncaring tone Sora didn't seem to catch. Sora went on next Koushiro and started to look at the graphs of the current population of Grays.

"You know I don't care much about this revolution," the new Gray mumbled to Jyou, "I'm not wanting to be a fellow partner, so don't expe--"

"You'd be more than happy to help recruit some people?" Jyou said loudly. "That's GREAT, Jun!"

The girl twitched, but then met up with the shining eyes of Sora. "Uh…"

"Yay!" the redhead held up a list, "It would be great if you could get some of them today…"

Jyou snatched the list and handed it to Jun. "It's an honor to have you amongst us! Everyone looks up to you!"

_I'm going to send something venomous to you one day…_ she glared at him. Jyou laughed nervously.

* * *

"Oh no…" Miyako kept her eyes looking out the window towards the front of the school. "They're here." 

"Who's here?" Mimi bounced up next to her Gray friend. Her eyes widened at the sight. "… Shit. Where's Sora?"

* * *

"There seems to be some trouble," Koushiro stammered as he peered out the window. 

"What is it?" asked Taichi. He got up and also looked out the window. "Didn't you say that you and Takenouchi raided Alice's mansion a few days ago?"

"I don't think it's Zack's gang," the brunette's friend looked through his files about Alice. "I think… she had multiple boyfriends," he sweatdropped. "That's what her friends have said, anyway."

"They were just after her money," he sighed.

Koushiro nodded. "Yeah, I guess if they get revenge on Alice, they'll feel that they will be rewarded or something."

The Black Leader cracked his knuckles. "Well, you know I can't resist a fight…"

* * *

"I suggest you run far, far away," Juri tried to pull Sora away from the window. "It'll be safer at my middle school…" 

"I can't just run away from a fight!" Sora's eyes glimmered. "Think of all the Grays we could get out of this!"

Jyou added, "And then, you should think about the bloodshed we could get out of this too. Sora, you really probably shouldn't get into this… It's very dangerous, look at all the wooden and metal bats they're holding!"

The girl refused. "Since when is Takenouchi Sora scared?"

"You're kind of twitching," Mimi observed. "You should play it safe. It wouldn't be good if you were hurt."

"But I…" Suddenly, the redheaded Gray was smacked straight into the ground. "OW!"

"You really should get out of my way," an all-familiar voice sniggered. "Letting your guard down – as usual."

"Why you!" Sora swung a fist at him, which he easily dodged. This went on for a few minutes…

"Taichi!" Koushiro had come running from a corner. "I've found you!"

"It seems so," he flinched as both he took a slap from the girl. "What is it?"

"The crowd… they're yelling for you and Sora!"

"What, why me?" Taichi loosened his grip on Sora. "Not that I mind a fight or anything."

"I think Zack was one of their gang's subdivision…" the boy explained. "Payback."

"That's very convenient," the mop-head muttered. "Guess I should get going."

Mimi pointed out the window. "You know that's certain death, right? How stupid can you get?"

"Do you know who you're talking to?" and he sent a glare that could kill. "I'm just going to – hey, let go!"

Several minutes and struggles later, Taichi was nicely tied together by a rope provided by Koushiro. He, knowing Taichi well enough to act before thinking, decided to stop his attempts. "Sorry Taichi, but I really can't let you out there. You also risk getting Sora in danger too."

"Don't think you'll get away with this, Koushiro!" the leader spat at his friend. "You trai—mmph!"

The boy had sealed his lips with a nice piece of duct tape. "Yeah, yeah, stop rambling already." He then dragged him into a classroom and tied him against the intercom pole.

"You know, even if we call the cops and have them arrested, they'll get back at us when they come back," said Miyako, rubbing her chin.

Sora leaned against the wall. "We need someone to scare them off. Permanently."

"What about Ichijouji Ken?" Mimi spoke. "His Kaiser Knuckles could easily scare those people off any day."

"Not enough…" Koushiro sighed. "We need Hikari too."

Taichi's eye twitched.

_That name sounds familiar…_ Sora closed her eyes. _Hikari…_

"Ken rarely comes to school," Miyako crossed her arms. "I doubt we can get him over here in time, if he'll even come."

"I think I saw Hikari this morning," Jyou pondered. "Let's go look for her first."

As the others left, Taichi blinked at what just happened. _Was I just forgotten?_

_

* * *

_  
A beautiful violin rhapsody could be heard as Sora walked down the hallway. Her ears led her to the door from where the sound was emanating. Her hands pushed on the door, her eyes finding a young brunette girl dancing on the floor.

_Beautiful…_ Sora closed her eyes, not noticing the tears falling from her eyes. _It sounds familiar…_

There was a click. Sora snapped out of her daze and wiped the tears away.

The girl smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Sora."

The Gray took a good look at her. "Hikari…?"

"Yeah!" she piped. "I'm happy you remember me. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Hikari's attire was not a black uniform. Instead, she donned slick black shorts with a matching electric pink tank top. Over this was a sleeveless black trench coat that fell a little below her knees.

Sora was astonished. "When did you turn Gray?"

"I was always a Gray," Hikari explained. "When I first met you, it seemed like I wore a black uniform, but it was all just regular black clothing so people wouldn't notice me. I try to avoid the crowd. I don't attend school much either."

"So… why are you here today?"

"Attendance," she sighed. "If I don't come, I won't be able to graduate."

"I see," Sora replied. "By the way, Jyou wanted to talk to you…"

* * *

A few minutes later, Sora found herself tied behind her back and on her ankle. "Hey! Why am I tied up?" 

"Someone like you would probably jump into the fight," Mimi responded. "We don't want you to get hurt."

"Mm… but I need to go to the restroom!" Sora complained.

_What the?_ Taichi twitched yet again. _I need to use it too… why do they only untie her?_

The girls followed Sora to the restroom in order to keep her from running away. Jyou and Koushiro had gone to talk with Hikari. Taichi was left behind, again.

_Damn it… Huh?_

Footsteps had been approaching the room he was tied in. The door slid open, revealing his savior.

He looked at him, helpless. His eyes widened as the boy held up a blade to him.

* * *

Jyou was down on his knees, begging for Hikari to help. 

Koushiro leaned against the wall, his arms crossed as he sighed at the scene.

"With your intelligence, you probably could've gotten rid of them," Hikari smirked.

"If I had time, I could've!" he snapped. "The whole school's surrounded; they can attack any time now! The only ones I could think of… were you and Ken."

"Because I'm the daughter of this family everyone fears me, isn't that why?" the girl replied. "I hate my family, and you're still asking for my help?"

"You have every right to be angry," Jyou nodded. "But I can only depend on you to help us."

"If you've come knowing all this…" Hikari grinned at Koushiro. "Would you leave a finger behind?"

Jyou twitched while Koushiro's eyes became beady, "W-What?"

Suddenly Ichijouji Ken came from behind Jyou, trapping him in a headlock. He wielded his three blades and clenched Jyou's right wrist. "It'll hurt, you know."

"How long have you been listening?" Koushiro asked.

"I've been around long enough to know the story," Ken replied. "We all know the only ones who can handle this are Hikari and me. Would you be willing to give up a finger for our help?" He sounded almost cynical. Almost.

"Fine!" Jyou exclaimed.

Hikari was taken aback.

"If one wants to seriously protect someone, they have to have this kind of commitment, right?" Jyou said firmly.

"When were you so reliable?" Ken spat. "Disgusting." And he released the boy – all fingers still attached.

* * *

_Damn it, I can't escape with the windows locked…_ Sora pondered as she looked at the mirror. _I guess it can't be helped. I'll wait till Koushiro comes back._ She stepped outside, joining Mimi and the other girls who had been waiting for her. 

"Here they come!" Miyako smiled. "Looks like Jyou got them to help us out."

"Excellent," Sora help up a victory sign. "So what makes Hikari our trump card?"

"Have you every heard of the Kamiya Clan?" Hikari went on without waiting for an answer. "It is one the largest Japanese female gang with members totaling over one thousand."

Sora sweatdropped. "Eh?"

"I am the daughter of the leader, Kamiya Hikaru."

"But aren't you and Taichi siblings?"

"We are, but because the Kamiya Clan is strictly female, he is not so notorious. To avoid this heir, I took my father's last name, Yagami, instead, and ran away to live elsewhere so my mother wouldn't force me into this."

_Was it her apartment Taichi took me to when we got attacked…?_

"I am her bodyguard," Ken stepped up. "At least, Taichi asked me to look after her. Taichi helped me with a family issue, so I owe a huge favor to him. But don't get me wrong, I'm still a Gray, nothing more."

"That's why they're the only ones that can stop the gang outside," Miyako understood Jyou's motives.

"Uh, you guys?" Juri broke the conversation meekly. "Taichi's gone!"

"Don't worry, I placed a video camera in the plant pot just in case something like this happened," Koushiro shuffled through and unveiled the digital device.

Mimi hit him on the head. "That's not what matters right now! He's probably fighting outside!"

With that cue, everyone ran outside, leaving Koushiro alone to watch the evidence…

* * *

"Hello, police? I want to inform you that there is a brunette boy causing trouble in the front of Odaiba High School. Please take care of this problem immediately." 

The boy placed a finger on the blinds, pushing down to see through to the fight about to begin. Yagami Taichi appeared a few minutes later. His fists were up and ready to battle.

"Thank you. After all, it is my obligation as the Student Council President to rid of all disturbances."

And he sat back in his chair, satisfied.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *


	10. The Story Starts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 10

* * *

"Don't do anything stupid, Yagami!" Sora yelled behind him. "Fighting isn't going to do anything right now!" 

"Tch," he spat as he rolled up his sleeves, "We gotta settle the score, Takenouchi. They're not leaving until we make them leave."

"I'm afraid I can't stop him," Hikari sighed, leaning against a pillar. "There's no use stopping those guys if my brother's already in the way."

"Wait…!" Sora ran out and reached for his sleeve, which she – unfortunately – missed as he lurched forward the same time she did. He began to take down the gang members, one by one. However, one came up and smacked him with a bat, bringing him down.

Suddenly, sirens roared louder. Mimi took noticed of the police cars approaching their high school. "Did someone call them?"

No one spoke up.

"Damn it, Taichi's totally into it," Jyou cried. "I begged Hikari for nothing! All that effort wasted!"

Sora began to push her way through the gang members. "Yagami, get out of there or you'll be caught! Yagami!"

There was no response. The crowd was way too large to find out where he was, even with his huge mop-head.

"Stop it, Sora, you'll get hurt!" the blue-haired boy cried, trying to follow after Sora. He mustered up his courage and began to randomly hit people. "Didn't I ever tell you physical labor isn't a strong point of mine?"

"Can I go in?" Ken asked Hikari with a grin. "This looks fun."

"No," she said sternly. "This is pointless now. My brother's too stubborn to listen to us."

He tilted his head. "Hm… Perhaps. Don't you think the police arrived too fast? We weren't even ten minutes into the fight."

"I didn't notice," she shrugged. "It's not our problem now."

"All of you over there, don't move!" a policeman shouted. Behind him appeared to be an entire squad.

Taichi felt his arm being pulled. "Stop it, Takenouchi!"

"You have to run, the police are coming!"

"Jyou, take care of her!" the boy shoved her away.

Sora stumbled into Jyou, who began to pull her out. "But, Taichi…!"

"He'll be fine, WE need to leave," he said seriously. Reluctantly, she went along.

* * *

"The police arriving too early makes me suspect someone knew this was going to happen," Ken said. "Can you show us the video, Koushiro?" 

_I wonder what's going to happen to him…_ Sora thought. _Juvenile detention? Jail? Court?_

"Here, watch this." Koushiro connected the videotape onto the computer and played it. "They were obviously speaking, but the sound card was broken," he sweatdropped.

To everyone's shock, the person helping Taichi Yagami was his adversary: Yamato Ishida.

The video commenced. After their conversation, Yamato kneeled down in front of him and sliced the ropes with a pocketknife. He proceeded in giving the knife to Taichi.

"He GAVE a knife to a guy like HIM?" Mimi nearly fainted. "What's wrong with this guy?"

"And you became a White for him…" Miyako sniggered. Mimi flustered.

Ken spoke, "Well, this is all very interesting."

"Can you guys not tell Yamato we know about this?" Koushiro asked. "It might be better this way."

"Sora just took off running to the student council office," Hikari pointed.

He smacked his head into the keyboard. "Damn it."

* * *

Yamato heard footsteps getting louder. He stood up, about to walk to the door when it slammed open, revealing Sora. 

"Why did you untie Taichi?" she panted.

He sat back down and propped his arm on his desk. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act dumb, we saw the video camera! You untied him with the knife and gave it to him! I suppose you reported him to the cops as well?"

The Student Council President was silent for a moment. "Ah, a video camera. I guess I didn't think about that." He rolled his chair back and stood up. "It's out in the open, then. My association with him, too?"

"The sound card was broken." She said bluntly. "Spill."

He flinched. He knew it was a mistake saying that. "Anyway," he diverted the topic. "I don't know why you're blaming me. I got rid of an obstacle. Perhaps now it's easier to change things around here now that he's gone for a while."

Sora frowned. "Are you saying you did this for me?"

He smirked and looked away at her. "And if I did?"

She clenched her fists and stomped over to him. Sora grabbed the top of his shirt and pulled him so he would look at her. "Why don't you look at me when you speak?"

A pair of azure eyes gazed at her.

"Huh?" Sora released him and placed her hand over her forehead. "Didn't I do this before?" _A swing… Those blue eyes…_ "Didn't I… say this to you before?"

When she looked at him, his eyes were different. They looked hopeful.

She stepped back when he began to walk towards her. _What is he doing?_ She finally found herself stopped against a bookshelf. He trapped her between his arms. Sora had never realized how tall he was when he leaned over her.

"Do you remember yet?" he asked softly.

She arched a brow. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

His eye twitched and he dropped his arms. "Forget it."

_This is pointless. He's not going to say anything else about Taichi_, the girl growled. She walked towards the door, but stopped to say one last thing. "If Taichi had stabbed someone… or gotten stabbed himself… I would have never forgiven you!" she shouted, and ran out of the room.

The boy sighed, closing his eyes and sitting back against his chair. He ran a hand through his blonde strands. He nearly jerked in surprised when Koushiro was suddenly appeared before him. "What do you want?"

"To say you're her enemy is a lie," he said firmly. "You're always protecting her, aren't you?"

He remained silent, but kept his eye level with him.

"It started out when you gave her your Physics book so she wouldn't have to open her putrid-smelling locker. You helped her to the clinic when she took the attacks from Ken. You protected her at the masquerade. You released Taichi and gave him a weapon. And I know you called the cops to stop him, too. You don't do these things… without a strong feeling to back you up. I know how you feel."

Yamato narrowed his eyes. _So he likes her too…_ The blonde smirked. "Forgot about Mimi already?"

"If you don't take center stage, I will," Koushiro challenged, ignoring his comment. "I don't intend on losing someone again."

* * *

"Taichi's been suspended for about 4 days now…" Jyou sighed. "It's been very quiet without him. I'm sure everything will go crazy when he comes back next week." 

"However, I'm very impressed by the large increase in Grays," Ruki smiled. "Soon enough this segregation will be eliminated."

Kouji shrugged. "The deadline's coming up soon, you know. We have about 3 weeks until the challenge is over. If we don't get enough Grays, all this work will be for nothing."

Izumi nudged him. "You're so pessimistic."

"Where's Sora?" Takuya questioned. "Shouldn't she be here by now? She almost never misses a meeting."

"Koushiro said he had to visit someone," Jyou responded. "I think Sora went with him, too."

* * *

"What the hell?" Taichi's eyes widened at all the pages of notes Koushiro handed to him. "Am I supposed to care about school right now? I'm in a freaking hospital!" 

"Listen, exams are coming up," the boy said. "If you don't pass, Sora will feel responsible since the gang members were after her too."

"So you like her, hmm?" he grinned.

"I do," he said, blushing a bit.

"What happened to Mimi?"

Koushiro sighed. "She doesn't pay that much attention to me…"

Taichi patted him on the back. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, you aren't!" he snapped. "Just study, okay?"

* * *

Yamato ambled his way down the sidewalk. He donned jeans and a brown trench coat over a black long-sleeved shirt. A dark blue scarf was wrapped around his neck. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. He sighed. _I'm not going to have this peace when Taichi comes back._

Suddenly his cell phone rang. He answered unwillingly. "Hello?"

"_Hey there, Yama-kun. How are you doing?"_

He hung up. A few seconds later his phone rang again. He kept it a few inches away from his ear when he clicked it.

"_YO! How could you do that to me, you jackass!"_

"I hate being called that. I'll kill you if you say that name again."

"_Hmph!"_

"What do you want? It's been nice not having you around lately."

_"I'm bored, so I wanted to know what was going on over there."_

"It's almost time to determine the winner of the deal."

_"Time flies, doesn't it? I really hope you're doing your best to stop her."_

"I don't really care. I just went along with you so I could become head of the school. Same with you isn't it?" Yamato asked, slightly amused. "At least to achieve a position that gives you the freedom to do anything."

"_You think you sound so cool and smooth, huh?"_

"Let me ask you," he continued. "Why didn't you use the knife?"

_"Let me ask you why you gave me the knife."_

"I was curious to see how far you would go in fighting."

"_Or is it that you really want me to stay away from Takenouchi-chan?"_

His eyes widened at the statement, and before he could respond, the boy had hung up.

* * *

Sora strolled through the park. _I know I know something about Yamato… There was something about us a long time ago… but what?_ She had asked her father if he remembered anything from her childhood, especially friends or enemies. He told her to bring him by to see if he maybe remembered his face. 

And to her luck, she spotted Yamato not too far away from her. She ran up to him. He stared at her, angry. "What do you want?"

"You looked nicer when you're not wearing a uniform," she teased. _Is he blushing? Or just really angry at something?_

"I know you didn't frolic over here to say that."

"So blunt," she sighed. "Let's go on a date!"

Koushiro spotted the two walking towards the museum, which was not far from the hospital. "What are those two doing…?"

And he, being the curious boy he was, decided to follow them.

* * *

"These paintings make you feel at ease, huh?" Sora smiled. 

"What did you ask me here for? I know your motive wasn't really a date," he replied bluntly.

"It was… ah!" Sora waved. "Yuta-san!"

A young man around the upper-thirties turned to them. He had medium length black hair that clashed with his crimson eyes – eyes that Sora had.

She walked over to him, ushering Yamato to follow along. "This is my Uncle Yuta. But actually, he has raised me since I was very little, so he's practically my dad. The paintings in this area are all by him!"

Yamato bowed, keeping his eyes on Yuta. "Hello."

"This is the boy I mentioned before. Maybe you two know each other!" Sora pulled on her uncle's sleeve. "Does he look familiar?"

The man studied his features. "Unfortunately, this is the first time we've met."

_Damn…_ Sora felt defeated. _I thought I was on to something._

"Hey, Sora, could you go to the store next door and get me some cigarettes?" He pulled out a wallet and handed her some cash.

"Isn't this a non-smoking area?"

"Please, I can't leave my place today."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Sorry Yamato, I'll be right back."

* * *

Yuta kept watching her back until she had left the door and turned. "Well, she's gone now." He looked over his shoulder at Yamato. "Long time no see! It's been what, nine years since I've seen you?" 

_They know each other?_ Koushiro stayed hiding behind a pillar. _What's going on here?_

"I knew I recognized you," Yamato said, "but I decided to play along with your game."

"So you do remember me! I used to play with you all the time when you were little."

The boy twitched. "You call that playing? I was running away from you."

Yuta crossed his arms and smirked. "Still pissing people off, huh?"

Yamato shifted his weight to one leg. "What happened to Sora? She didn't forget me… she doesn't know me at all! Like only one part of her memory is gone. Please tell me what happened."

"So straight forward, as usual," the man grinned. His features suddenly stiffened. "You were one of Sora's most important friends back then. So I'm going to tell you, Yamato-kun."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *


	11. Rumors

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 11

* * *

"You were Sora's most important friend back then," Yuta said calmly. "So I guess you deserve to know."

Yamato leaned against a pillar with a serious look on his face. "I'm waiting."

"At the age of 7, Sora witnessed her mother's death. She was run over by a car… right in front of her face. So as a young girl, she was obviously traumatized, taking a toll on her mental abilities. Even the scene still gives me nightmares." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Her father and I took her to a quiet urban area. She had become a lifeless doll, unable to speak. Half a year later, she slowly recovered, but she didn't remember anything before or after the accident. I told her, piece by piece, her missing memories. Though all of it was true, I never mentioned you because I feared her memories would rush back at her."

Yamato flinched. _If I had told her about their past… Sora would've suffered because of me._

"I don't want Sora to be haunted by the past. I know that you, Yamato, can't stand her being hurt like that. Please, stay away from Sora."

"When I saw Sora for the first time in years, I was very angry that she had forgotten me. But now I think it's a good thing she doesn't remember me…" the blonde spoke. "She would be… very disappointed in me…"

Yuta blinked. "Yamato… do you still live there…?"

"Yuta-san!" the girl piped. "I bought them for you," she held up a pack of cigarettes. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh nothing. Listen Sora, I have to go now, so I'll see you later."

* * *

"Sorry for dragging you out," Sora said sadly. "I was hoping I could get something about my past."

Yamato said softly, "It's okay. Just forget about it."

"Well… it's uncomfortable for me too," she offered. "There were others who want my memory back." _Like Takeru…_

"You don't have to push yourself this hard."

Sora twitched. "Weren't you the one who was angry at me in the first place? And why are you so nice all of a sudden? You're usually cold…"

Yamato flustered. "Don't misunderstand me."

"Are you opening up to me now?" Sora peered at him with her fiery eyes. His cheeks tinted of red. "That's good to know! I hope… we can talk more about my past in the future."

His eyes looked down at the sidewalk as they continued their way home.

* * *

"You Grays seem to be quite the party group," Hikari observed as Mimi and Miyako showed her pictures of all their get-togethers. "Who're those kids?"

"Oh, they're from Odaiba Middle School… they allied with us so they wouldn't have to be segregated when they come to high school."

Sora stared blankly at the table. _Yamato's been avoiding me since he talked to my uncle…_

"When did you start dating Koushiro?" Hikari asked.

"I'm not dating him," Mimi replied. "Why?"

"Nothing, there's just a lot of pictures with you two together. And he's always either looking or smiling at you."

The pink-haired girl blushed. "Really? I never noticed…"

"You like him, huh?" Miyako nudged her. "You don't have to hide it from us!"

"Maybe… a little. But I'm sure he doesn't feel that way about me…"

Sora shook her head and gave a thumbs-up. "I can arrange a few things. Leave it to me, Mimi-chan!"

"No, don't!" She said seriously. "If you tell him… I'll never speak to you again!"

"Mimi…" the redhead said softly. "Sorry…" _Why is she overreacting?_

"Sorry… I'm going to go to the restroom," Mimi stuttered and jolted out the door. Miyako followed after her.

"Doesn't she trust me to be her matchmaker?" Sora asked confused.

"That's not why," Hikari said. "Listen to me, as a friend… Don't interfere. Or else Mimi and Koushiro will be lost to you forever."

_Huh?_ Sora stared as the brunette walked away.

* * *

Koushiro put the video up on his computer. In his hands was a script written by someone who had lip-read their conversation.

"_You got careless again, huh?"_

"_Listen, blondie, the girl you claim as the Sora from before caused this."_

"_I told you to stay away from her."_

"_Ooh, jealous, aren't you?"_

_Yamato kneeled down and pulled out the knife. "Here."_

_Taichi smirked. "You're so considerate as to give me a weapon, too?"_

"_As best friends… I suppose I could do this for you. What will the other students do if their leader isn't there?"_

The President of the Computer Club leaned back in his chair. _The first time I saw them was after our first karaoke party… and then Yamato helped him out. What's missing?_

"Koushiro?" Iori opened the door.

The boy shut his laptop immediately. "Hi, what is it?"

"There's rumor about Yamato and Taichi being secretly close. Have you heard it?"

"No, who started it?"

Iori took a seat across from him. "I'm not sure… But there's usually little truth in rumors. I guess the video threw people off."

An idea sparked in Koushiro's head. "Prodigious! You know what I'm thinking?"

The small boy gave him a confused look. "What is it?"

"If those two are really close to each other, then maybe they're only pretending to be adversaries in order to become the leaders of Black and White. The leader of the Whites is strongly academic, as he is also Student Council President. And as for the leader of the Blacks, he has to be a strong fighter. Inevitably, those two clash. If they both had the same traits only one would rule."

"… And so they've tricked people into their positions, and the fight at the beginning of the school year was a setup?"

He nodded. "When students hear this… they will certainly lose trust with their leaders and become Gray."

"Isn't this a bit evil?"

"Someone has to do the dirty work in every organization," Koushiro grinned.

* * *

Sora sighed. So many thoughts were running through her head. 

/You don't have to push yourself so hard. Don't misunderstand me. /

/If you tell him… I'll never speak to you again/

/ Don't interfere. Or else Mimi and Koushiro will be lost to you forever…/

Yamato passed her as she opened the door. She snapped out of her thoughts and clung to his arm. "Don't ignore me, Ishida!"

He continued, though with difficulty, up the stairs. His strength had Sora sliding on her feet as she stuck to him. "You've been avoiding me since two days ago! Any reasons in particular?"

"Nope."

"Then why are you running away?"

"You seem to be troubled."

"Can't you listen to what I have to say?"

"No. Now let go of me," Yamato growled.

Sora felt tears brimming. "I don't know why I'm so angry! I need someone calm to give me some advice."

Yamato stopped. She grasped his arm and his shirt. "Why are you crying…?"

"I see your relationship is moving along nicely."

"Taichi!" Sora gasped. "You've recovered from the hospital?"

"Tch, I was out of there in no time."

"It's Yagami!" someone shouted.

Another one whispered, "He's still alive?"

"Look! The leaders of Black and White are meeting each other!"

A girl asked, "Did you hear about the rumor?"

"Yagami-sama!" a group of Blacks waved. "We're glad you healed!"

The brunette boy gave them a glare. "I see the number of Grays have increased while I was gone. What have you guys been doing?"

"There's been a rumor," one of them said.

A female member turned pale. "Don't, stop!"

"People have been saying that you and Yamato are really good friends, and they are really mad about it," the boy continued.

"Stop!" the girl cried.

"Is it true? Tell us it's not!"

_What's happening?_ Sora looked at Taichi, and then Yamato. _Don't make it more confusing than it is!_

Taichi scoffed. "Nope. I don't remember us being friendly at all. I wonder who leaked that information, Yamato-kun."

_Yamato-kun? When has Taichi ever said his first name?_ Sora thought.

"Looks like it's game over," Yamato said coolly.

"So it's true?" Sora asked.

"We told you we don't remember us being friendly at all!" the both said simultaneously.

"That's right," a Black member said. "At the beginning of the school year, they fought so fiercely they both went to the hospital!"

Yamato jerked his thumb towards Taichi. "That's because he got serious and really hit me."

"You gave me a black eye!" he retorted.

"It's not my fault you couldn't dodge my punch."

The Black leader clenched his fist. "What? I'll fight you right now!"

"You guys! Calm down," Sora pleaded.

"Even though you guys appear to be enemies, you guys are actually good friends," Koushiro said. Everyone looked up to the third floor and saw the boy leaning over the rail. "Each of you played the role of a perfect student or a tough person. You've helped each other in more ways than one."

Sora was confused. "Huh?"

"If you become head, anyone from any grade level will listen to you. In the end, you just wanted a good memory of this place. Right?"

"To put simply," Taichi crossed his arms, "that's it. It wasn't as fun as I thought."

"What?" a student from the masses asked. "You don't sound like you cared about lying to us at all!"

"I'm pissed!"

"All this time we believed in you!"

Sora turned to Yamato. "Is this true? I didn't think you cared about position that much. You had other reasons, right? Answer me!"

The boy merely smiled. "When one game ends, another one begins…"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *


	12. Cause and Effect

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 12

* * *

"So rumors do come true," Jyou said. 

Mimi blinked. "Don't you mean wishes?"

"… Anyway," Koushiro coughed. "I guess the hypothesis I had turned out to be Yamato and Taichi's plan in the end."

Ruki looked pissed. "So… all this segregation was just because those two morons wanted power?"

"Think of all the people who worshipped them as idols…" Izumi sighed.

Kouji frowned. "So what? They're going to turn Gray now. Wasn't that the plan?"

"I think Sora's taking this harder than we anticipated," Juri whispered.

"She's fine," Mimi said. "She was… just shocked they admitted to such a thing."

Iori smiled. "Look, everyone's a Gray." He cocked his head towards the balcony. Everyone looked below.

"Go count the numbers," Jyou ordered to Miyako.

"Do we even need to count?" she twitched.

"We need numbers," he said stubbornly.

Sora was ambling down the hallway while the team cheered at their accomplishments.

_Something's still not right…_ She sighed as she walked down the hallway. _It doesn't feel like a victory._

"Takenouchi!" someone called. Sora looked up to see Ken exiting a room. "I heard what happened yesterday. Congrats."

"Thanks," she smiled weakly.

The boy grinned. "I'm surprised you found out those two were best friends."

Sora looked up. "What? How did you know?"

He placed a hand over his mouth. "Uh… never mind."

"You're hiding something," she glared.

Ken leaned against the balcony rail. "You don't look too happy. You know the number of Grays have exceed those of Blacks and Whites."

"I didn't do much… It was mostly Koushiro and the others. All I did was talk…"

"You know, I've seen many people who've vowed to change this school. In the end they failed and got bullied. You came… and pushed everyone in the right direction. If you feel like you haven't done anything, there's probably something you still have to do."

_A mission… I still have to complete…_ _Between Yamato and Taichi…?_

"Well, I think that's enough dramatic talk for one day," Ken smiled. "I'll tell others you have a headache."

"Huh? Oh… thanks, Ken," she smiled.

He pushed himself away from the rail. "One more thing." He handed her a slip of paper. "From someone of your past."

She opened the slip. **Sakura Elementary School.**

**

* * *

**

Sora woke up the next day depressed. She couldn't think straight as she trudged down the hallway. _School's almost over…_

"You look more depressed than yesterday," Ken commented.

The girl met eyes with her underclassmen and, before she could answer, was interrupted by Yamato. "Here."

"Huh?" The Gray blinked. "Yamato… You're in regular clothes!"

Indeed, the boy now donned a white shirt with a green jacket over it. He wore baggy khaki pants and clean black sneakers. A navy blue scarf was wrapped around his neck. "Go ahead and do it." He threw a bag into Sora's arms.

"What's this?"

He began to leave, "Didn't you say you would burn it?"

_His uniform…_ She thought. "You and Taichi were supposed to burn it together in front of everyone."

The former White Leader shrugged. "Too bad. You'll have to make him forfeit first."

"Make who forfeit what?" an all-familiar voice sneered. "I can't believe you gave up so easily, Ishida!"

"I can't believe how persistent you are," he calmly said. "We've lost, Yagami."

"You're not going to give us your uniform?" Sora inquired.

He crossed his arms and snorted. "As if!"

"Take it by force!" Someone shouted. A group of Grays lunged at him in attempts to take his clothing.

The brunette struggled on the ground, hitting random people he could get. "Get off!"

Yamato and Sora watched, sweatdropping at the sight. Ken grinned. "Desperate times mean desperate measures."

"Okay, TAKE THE DAMN THING!" Taichi shouted as he crawled out of the mob. His jacket was no longer in possession. Now he was wearing a white un-tucked buttoned shirt over his black pants.

The Grays cheer as one held up his jacket in victory. The boy handed it to Sora. "Here you go!"

"Thanks…" Sora said with beady eyes. "I guess."

"Aren't you going to burn it?" someone asked.

She shook her head. "No… even though we've won, there are still a few people who aren't Gray. We don't know if someone else will start causing fights… so I'm going to wait until everyone converts back. So… everyone, please work hard to achieve our new goal!" The girl bowed.

"This is so corny," Taichi rolled his eyes. "I liked your personality better when you slept in my bed."

Whispers began to ensue.

Sora looked flustered. "What? Don't say anything that'll make misunderstandings!" She scolded at him.

_Thump._

Everyone caught sight of Yamato… who had just walked smacked into an opened door. He twitched and continued stumbling down the hallway.

Someone asked, "Did he… just… hit his head?"

"Wow… Sora!" Taichi placed an arm around her. "I think I like you better now! Anyone who can disturb a guy like that… You're something! This kind of stuff with you seems to mess with his head!"

The girl sighed. "Kind of stuff?"

"Let's be friends, Piyo!"

"W-wait! Did you eat something bad?" She glared as he put his face very close to hers.

"Let's forget out past up until now."

She placed her palm against his forehead and pushed him away. "Get lost, Yagami!"

"Tch, I know you love me on the inside," he said as he walked away. "See you around, Piyo!"

The boy turned to his left and continued his way. Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him into a small room.

"Don't touch Sora," a firm voice said.

"I see how she gets to you Ishida. Looks like you're not that emotionless after all."

Yamato grabbed the boy's shirt and shoved him against the wall. "Don't touch her! Don't you _dare_ touch Sora!"

Taichi chuckled. He too grabbed his adversary's shirt and lifted him a bit above ground. "The real Yamato… I thought I'd never see this side again! It's amusing, really."

"Why don't you understand that she's the Sora from our childhood?"

"Because… the Sora I know would never forget us," the brunette said thinly. "She doesn't remember me, Yamato. She doesn't even remember you!"

The blonde released his grasp. "I know… There's a reason for that."

"What is it?" he dropped the boy. "Why doesn't she notice us?"

"I can't say," Yamato said quietly. "It's better if you didn't know."

"Are you punishing me? The son of the family who broke yours apart?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Yagami--"

"Heh. You gave me that look three years ago. It's been a while. You know, sometimes I find it ironic that we swore to be best friends when we were younger. Sora brought us together then… and now she's put us farther apart."

* * *

"Koushiro," the girl said meekly. She placed her hands behind her back. "I heard a rumor." 

"Another one? Guess they're becoming popular huh, Sora?" he smiled as he turned away from the computer. "What is it?"

She gulped. "I heard that… you like me."

The boy blushed. "Oh." _That threw me off. Only Yamato knew…_

"I'm sorry, I cannot accept your feelings. I only see you as a friend," she said. "But those rumors are false anyway, right?" The girl looked hopeful.

The male redhead was quiet, folding his hands behind his head. "Why would you think that?"

_Because you're supposed to like Mimi! What happened to Mimi?_ The girl wanted to scream. "I guess… I thought you would always see us partners, not lovers." She shifted the weight of her leg.

"I see," he sighed. "I'm sorry Sora. Please don't let this affect you."

She nodded. _Easier said than done. What if Mimi finds out…?_

"I need to meet Jyou about the numbers, so I'll see you later, okay?" He smiled at her with that innocent look.

"Okay," she waved. She was left alone in the room.

Thoughts flooded her mind. _I need to focus on getting my memory back! Damn it, Sora, why are you trapped in so many situations right now? _"Huh?" Sora noticed a sheet of paper on the keyboard Koushiro had been on. The top had read "Sakura Elementary School: Attendance Sheet."

She blinked at the list. It had her name, Yamato's, Taichi's, Hikari's, and Takeru's.

The girl quickly checked her watch. It was 3:30 PM — the time Yamato usually left the school. Sora quickly darted out of the room, and then nearly stumbled down the stairs as she exited the premises. Looking to the right, and then to the left, she found Yamato turning onto a street. "Yamato!" she cried.

The boy stopped at the curb. His eyes were staring straight at her.

Sora ran to him. "Yamato… I want to know what this is about!" She handed him the paper. "Don't lie to me!"

Someone screamed.

She broke her gaze and saw what had happened. A car had crashed into a light pole and the man inside was knocked unconscious. A woman's body lied on the ground, staining the pavement with blood.

It was too late when Yamato pulled her towards him and embraced her. "Don't look, Sora! Don't watch…" He placed a hand behind her head and buried her into his chest. _Please don't remember…_

Yamato felt something cold on his shirt. Sora lifted her head slowly, her vacant eyes swimming in tears. "Too late, Yamato-kun…"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *


	13. Most Important

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 13

* * *

"I remember all the blood that spilled over the concrete," Sora whimpered. "My mother's blood…"

"Sora, stop talking, it's okay…" Yamato hushed her. His hug became tighter.

She wasn't listening.

"It happened because of me. Because I was in the way… because my mother pushed me so the car wouldn't hit me."

The boy's eyes were frantic. He didn't know what to do. The sound of sirens became more distant and policemen were investigating the wreck. Taichi saw them from across the street and started walking towards them.

"You two look comfortable," he commented. He arched a brow when he saw the serious look on Yamato's face.

He didn't say anything. Sora's sobbing became quieter when she heard Taichi's voice.

"Hey, what's wrong with her?"

The blonde glared at him. It was a 'you-really-don't-want-to-start-anything, Yagami' look. "Just keep walking, Yagami."

"When I went to elementary school, Taichi was the one who taught me how to play soccer," she said, pulling away from Yamato to stare at Taichi. "You were my first friend."

"Sora… so it's really you?" he scratched his head. "Why did you forget about us?"

"Because of my…" her eyes closed and her body went limp. Yamato caught her before she could fall on the ground.

"I told you to keep walking!"

Taichi frowned. "She remembered who I am! Probably you too! Shouldn't you be happy?"

He shook his head. "This is wrong. This isn't supposed to happen." He moved her so he carried her with one arm beneath her knees and the other beneath her shoulders. Her head laid gently on his shoulder blade.

"Yamato!" someone called. His eyes turned to see Yuta, her uncle.

"What're you doing here?"

"I was going to talk to the principal about Sora's leave… but," he sighed as he took Sora away from Yamato's arms. "It seems that I have more important matters to tend to."

"Uncle Yuta?" Taichi asked. "Is it really you?"

"Taichi, long time no see," he nodded.

"Uncle Yuta," Yamato stammered, "Sora… she remembers everything."

He sighed again. "I saw the accident as soon as I left the café. When I saw you with Sora I knew she'd have the memories rush back at her. Her dad's not going to like the sound of this."

"Her… her dad?" the blonde stared at him intently. "Where is he?"

"He's waiting for her in America. He didn't want to see Sora when she was traumatized. He trusted me to take care of her. I guess I didn't fulfill that promise." He bowed. "If you'll excuse me…" The man walked away with his niece in his arms.

"Yamato, tell me what happened to Sora! Tell me why she forgot about us!" Taichi gripped the boy's shirt collar.

He took a deep breath, and told him the story.

* * *

"Takeru," Yamato gritted his teeth as he made his way through the apartment complex's stairs. "Why do I have a feeling you had something to do with this…?" He gripped the piece of paper in his hands. It read 'Sakura Elementary School' on it.

The boy stopped at the door. Shifting his weight to his left leg he knocked on the door.

No response.

His eye twitched as he knocked on the door again.

No response.

He placed an ear against the door and was met with a mixture of sounds. He clucked his tongue and kicked the door. The sound faded.

Yamato smiled victoriously when he heard footsteps. The door clicked.

"Sorry, I was – Yamato?"

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," he held up the paper. "Didn't I tell you not to interfere?"

The younger blonde sweatdropped. "I know how much you wanted her to remember us… it was just a hint."

"If it makes you happy, she remembers," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "Everything."

"That's great!" Takeru smiled. "Isn't it? Why do you look angry?"

"She remembered her mom's death, Takeru."

The smile quickly faded and his face went pale. "O-oh…"

"Yeah, good job." He gave a thumbs-up with a fake, sarcastic smile.

"Yamato?" a voice said from behind Takeru. "Sorry, I heard everything."

"Hikari," he nodded in recognition. His attention went back to his little brother. "Why do I have a feeling she had something to do with this too?"

"It's just that… when we were very young, we were fond of Sora. We looked up to her a lot."

He was agitated. "Is mom home?"

"No."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, then." And he walked away without turning back.

* * *

The rain softly tapped the roof of the blonde's apartment complex. He stared blankly at the broken ceiling fan.

His stare was broken by the sudden noise of his cell phone's ring tone. He glanced at the number that appeared on the small screen and didn't recognize it. Who would be calling at 1 AM? He shrugged and flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Yamato? It's Yuta."

He sat up immediately. "Is something wrong?"

"Sora… I went to her room to check on her but she was gone. I was hoping you'd know where she was… or would be."

"I… I have a hunch," the boy replied weakly. "Leave it to me, okay? I'll bring her back."

"Okay. I'll leave her in your hands, okay, Yamato-kun? Sorry to trouble you."

_No trouble at all. _He nodded, even though Yuta couldn't see. He hung up and changed quickly. He decided he couldn't risk going through the front door; his dad might hear him leaving. His azure eyes glanced to the right. There were windows that led to the emergency stairs and ladder. He decided to take that route out.

Yamato didn't know where to start. It just _felt_ right that he should be on the train. He sat and stared at the ground. Not many people were on the train, just a few who didn't have homes resting beneath newspapers.

The train stopped. He looked out the window and saw the outdoor cemetery. Yamato left the subway and headed in that direction. He searched frantically for a sign of a redhead. He finally spotted her under a tree placing a candle in front of a gravestone. His footsteps were quiet as he approached from behind.

_I didn't want this part of my memory to come back..._ the girl thought. _I can't control my feelings… Can I forget about it… if he's by my side?_

"What are you doing?" he asked. He stood close behind her to shield her from the rain with his umbrella.

"When I called for her… she wouldn't answer. She stayed there… unmoving in that pool of blood." She pressed her forehead against the gravestone. "I killed her."

"Sora…"

"I was supposed to die." She held her head. "I'm not needed! Not needed…"

"Come with me," he grasped her arm and pulled her away.

She stumbled. "No! Where are you taking me?"

"Just go," he said and dragged her along. "This way."

The girl followed almost unwillingly after. His hand slid and now they were walking, or rather, he was dragging her, hand-in-hand.

They were walking for quite a long time. Sora's knee-high boots became covered in mud. "Where are you taking me, Yamato-kun…"

"Here," he pushed her into a rail. She looked below and saw water.

"This is…"

"If you don't want to live, jump off here," he said as he leaned back against the rail. "Disappear from my sight."

Her fingers glided across the thick wooden rail. "I've been here before." She closed her eyes.

**Flashback**

"_Don't come any closer!" The little boy cried. "I don't believe anything you say! No one really means what they say! No one needs me here…"_

_The tiny girl pulled herself up on the rail. "If Yamato-kun jumps off, I will too."_

"_What… what are you doing?"_

"_There is no child that is unwanted," the girl chirped. "Yamato-kun is my friend, so he's very important to me!"_

"_Liar!" he cried. He stepped back, lost his footing, and fell. His eyes widened when he saw the redheaded girl falling after him._

_Even when he hit the water, she reached for his hand and held on._

**End Flashback**

"You told me it was good that I lived… that people needed me," Yamato said softly. "Sora, there are many people that need you… Many people will cry if you're gone. After all, wasn't your mother the one who gave you life?"

Her mouth twitched, and she began to sob. She hid her head deep in her arms. The rain had stopped; she could not hide her tears anymore.

Yamato folded the umbrella back. He folded his arms and watched the ocean sweep back and forth.

She pulled her head up, wiping away the tears. "What about Yamato-kun?"

"Huh?"

"You don't care, right? You don't need me." She climbed onto the rail. "You won't feel anything if I die."

"What're you doing? Get down!"

"You told me to disappear from your sight."

A vein popped at the back of his head. "Don't do anything stupid! I felt really bad afterwards!" He grabbed her arm.

She glared at him.

He glared back.

"I'm not joking around. Your words… they hurt me." She felt her heart jerk in pain. "If you think I'm that important, why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"I've remembered what you told me all those years," he gripped her arm tighter. "Since then, you've been most important to me…"

She felt her cheeks flush. A strong wind blew by and she lost her balance. The only thing keeping her from falling was Yamato's hand holding her wrist, and her hand holding his.

"Let go, or else you'll fall too!" she shouted.

"I'll fall with you, Sora," he said. "But keep in mind, you won't be rescued… I can't swim."

"REALLY…?" she shouted and began to squirm. "Are you for real?"

"Shut up and don't move!"

* * *

Sora and Yamato panted as they sat against the rail.

"You know… you're pretty heavy," the boy muttered. "You weren't prepared to die, huh?"

"Thanks, Yamato," she said quietly. "Stay by my side… okay?"

He looked away. "Hn… it's been a while since I talked this much."

She laughed. "Oh, that's right! This is the longest conversation I think I've held with you!"

"It's not funny," he pouted. He stood up and grabbed his umbrella. "Let's go, your uncle is waiting for you."

* * *

The sky was a dark shade of red when they returned. The lights were on at the Takenouchi's residence. Yuta was smoking outside on the patio. He stood up when the two were in sight.

"Sora, I prepared breakfast already. Yamato can come too."

Tears came to her eyes and she ran towards him and hugged him. "Uncle Yuta…" she cried. _I will try even harder now… I will not waste the life my mother has given me!_

_

* * *

_

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

**


	14. Jealousy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 14

* * *

"So in the end you got your memory back," Koushiro smiled.

Sora scowled. "Something's still missing." _Something about Yamato and Taichi…_

"Sora!" Mimi's voice screeched as she slid the door open. "My house. Chocolates. After school, got it?"

The girl sweatdropped. "Uh. . .Okay?"

The pink-haired girl gave a thumbs-up and dashed off. Sora blinked with beady eyes.

"Tomorrow's the Odaiba Chocolate Festival." Koushiro explained. "Usually the girls give chocolates to the guy – or guys – they like. Before, the Whites gave white chocolates to the admired, and the Blacks gave milk or dark chocolates to theirs. I bet tomorrow will be happier than before since they don't have these restrictions." He smiled.

"That's good to hear," the redhead female said. _I guess I'll be making chocolates for all my friends!_

_

* * *

_

Who would've known Mimi worked miracles in the kitchen?

Sora stared in awe at her pink-haired friend. Not only could Mimi sing and put on a good outfit, but she was apparently a pro at cooking.

"Mimi, my chocolate looks weird…" Miyako's eye twitched.

Hikari glanced over at her bowl and laughed nervously. "It doesn't look _that_ bad…"

"Compared to yours, yes, it looks quite bad," the lavender-haired girl sighed.

Sora smiled. "It's okay Miyako, cooking takes practice."

"Isn't this your first time?" Miyako asked with an arched brow.

She pursed her lips and nodded meekly, earning a sweatdrop and glare from Miyako. "But it's not that… good looking."

"You must have very high expectations then," Hikari mumbled as she looked at Sora's pan-filled chocolates. They were thin and circular, as if imitating a cookie. Some were milk chocolates, while others were dark chocolates. Each one of them, however, were either swirled or dotted intricately with white chocolate.

"Why are there so many?" Mimi inquired. "You must love this guy loads!"

"They're not just for me…" Sora said. "It's for everyone I cherish," she smiled.

By they time they were done, all the chocolates they had made themselves were wrapped. Sora had placed hers in colorful origami boxes and decorated them with ribbons. Mimi had hers placed in a small white gift bag. Hikari placed her chocolates on a place and wrapped it professionally with cellophane and ribbons. Miyako placed hers in a heart-shaped box.

All of them sighed in relief as their job was completed. Though they had just wanted to purchase chocolates – Mimi insisted on baking them – so that they were "filled with love."

"I should be getting home," Sora said as she glanced at her watch. "It's getting late."

* * *

"So I was thinking, we should move to New York City about a month after your school ends," Uncle Yuta said casually over breakfast that next day. Sora was stacking her boxed chocolates in her bag for easy carrying. The girl glanced over to her Uncle who was occupying himself with a newspaper.

"Sure, I guess." The girl's thoughts were jumbled. Was everything going to end so soon, just when she remembered everything? Her dad was so eager to see her, though. . .

Yuta eyed his niece by peering above the edge of the newspaper. She grabbed the handle of the bag and walked to the door. "I won't be home for dinner, Sora, so don't wait for me."

"'Kay," And the door slammed shut.

He sighed, putting the newspaper down. He had come to the conclusion that it was hard being an uncle.

* * *

Sora walked through the school grounds, which were now filled with game and concession stands. The balloons had made the educational center more festive. Everything was still in the process of being set up.

"Sora-chan!" someone sang, and who other than Mimi? The happy girl bounced her way over to her redheaded friend. "Looks fun, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I can't wait to see the end result! Oh yeah…" she pulled out a pink origami box from her bag. "Not that you weren't expecting this, but these are for you, Mimi-chan."

The bubbly girl happily took the chocolate. "Thanks, Sora! Want to help me find Koushiro?"

Her skin went pale. "Eh? The chocolates are for Koushiro?"

"Yup!" And before she could say anymore, she found herself being dragged by the wrist.

_She does like him! Koushiro, I hope you get it through your head that you two are meant to be!_

Minutes later they discovered Koushiro in the computer lab. Big surprise. Mimi shoved Sora in first, nudging her at the side while cocking her head in the direction of her bag.

"Hey Koushiro," Sora said, laughing nervously. She placed a black origami box next to his computer. "These are for you."

Jet black eyes blinked at the treats. "Why, thank you Sora. . ." He sweatdropped as he noticed the bag filled with many more boxes of chocolates. "You know, it's supposed to be for only one person."

"I know, but, there's so many people I care about, I wanted everyone to have one."

"But!" Mimi piped as she held out her white gift bag. "These were made _just for you_!"

Sora couldn't help but roll her eyes. Mimi had made it seem like Sora's gift wasn't that special at all. The redhead had intended for everyone one of her chocolate receivers to be happy.

"Thanks, Mimi," he smiled with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"What time are we going out for dinner, again?"

"Ehhh?" Sora's eyes widened. "Hold it. Rewind and hit play. Did she just ask what time you guys are going on a date?"

"Actually, it was just dinner, but," Koushiro's face turned redder, "yes, we are dating…"

"Since when?"

"A long while ago…" Mimi's eyes looked up as she tried to recollect the time.

"But, Koushiro---" Sora almost blurted out, but stopped herself. _Told me he had feelings for me? Not that I'm jealous, or anything. This is great!_

The boy grinned. "It was a ploy, not a very good one, but Mimi insisted. She wanted you and Yamato get together, or something. . .She was suspicious of how Yamato always seemed to come to your rescue, so we decided to make it interesting by making me like you, and having Yamato know about it. I think it riled Yamato quite a bit."

Sora's eye twitched. "Mimi. . ."

The girl laughed nervously as she inched towards the door. "Oh, you know, forgive and forget! Ahahaha. . ."

"Is there one for Yamato?" the boy asked Sora.

She nodded, "Of course. . ."

* * *

"I don't want it," Yamato said coldly.

Sora wanted to strangle him but instead almost crumbled her nice blue origami box.

"Even Sora's wouldn't work. . ." a girl whispered from behind.

"I thought if he accepted Takenouchi's, then there'd be no reason to reject us, but now look what's happened!"

Many female voices arose from behind Sora. She stared straight at him as he walked away. She had already delivered a box to everyone she had made chocolates for, except. . .

"New girl!" Taichi called from afar. More whispers arose as he ruffled the girl's hair and snatched the box of sweets. "I haven't been getting any of these today. Weird."

"Those aren't for you!" she stood on her tip toes and jumped in attempts to retrieve her gift, but he was simply too tall for her to reach. Finally, she dug into her bag and pulled an orange box for him. "These are yours, okay? Give me that one back."

He shrugged and threw the blue box at her. "Thanks, Sora!"

She grumbled as she caught the item. "You're welcome. Um. . .Can I talk to you over lunch?"

Taichi nodded, and both of them went on their way to the cafeteria.

Taichi strolled his way over to the sushi line and Sora followed. He was making his way to the front until she grabbed his sleeve and made him stay put. "Taichi, wait in line like the other people!"

He mumbled a few curse words, but complied with what Sora said. Yamato had come in from the other side and noticed the two waiting in line. It was unusual for Taichi to wait in line, but he knew it was all because of the girl standing next to him.

"I heard Taichi's become less frightening because of Sora," Jyou commented as he saw the blonde boy take a glance to the sushi line.

Yamato's azure eyes didn't falter. They were still and calm. Jyou knew him better. Behind that cool façade Yamato was feeling sad. He had rarely seen Yamato put on a smile.

"I've lost my appetite," the ex-White leader stated and headed towards the exit, leaving Jyou behind.

As Sora took a seat across Taichi she popped a Philadelphia Roll into her mouth. "Taichi, what happened to us in first grade?"

"Huh? You don't remember?" he snapped his wooden chopsticks in half and took a piece of sushi into his mouth.

"Some things are still fuzzy to me," she frowned. "Why aren't you two friends anymore?"

Taichi took his sweet time chewing a tiny piece of Californian Roll, as if trying to avoid the question. He winced at Sora's glare and swallowed. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

Sora took a sip of water and focused her attention on him. "I'm listening."

"You were very special to us, Yamato and me, you know? You brought Yamato to me because I was social, or something. And we played together a lot, or at least, us two played soccer a lot, and you and Yamato had your own thing," the boy took a sip of soda and continued. "And though you were very special to me, I think in Yamato's heart. . .you were even more special. You opened his heart, and you protected him. . .Until you moved away suddenly. It was all bad timing, Sora, but I'm not blaming you."

_I left because of my trauma. . ._The redhead looked down at her half-eaten plate. _I let Yamato down. . ._

"I protected Yamato after you left. . .or at least, I tried to. He turned cold, just like he was before he met you. But I found out that it wasn't because you left. It was because my mother had been ripping his family apart."

Sora looked up. "Your mom?"

"Ken told me Hikari explained it to you. You know how my mother is the leader of the Kamiya Clan? Well, turned out she had tried to recruit Yamato's mom. His father wasn't too happy about that, and they began to fight a lot. I think Yamato broke when they got divorced. . .not just because of the separation from his mom, but also from the separation of his brother, Takeru. And even earlier before that, the separation from you. But Yamato wasn't the only one injured when you left. Hikari and Takeru were sad too. You cared for them so much when they were little."

The girl blinked as a jingle sounded at the end of his story. Taichi searched his pockets and revealed a slick black cell phone. "I'm needed right now. . .Sorry Sora, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Taichi left the girl behind, dumping the remains of his lunch in the trashcan and tossing the tray on top of the bin. He flipped his phone open. "Hey."

"_What did you tell her?"_

"Everything she wanted to know," the boy said casually.

"_I need to speak with you."_

He scoffed. "Really? This is new. The Yamato wants to actually have a chat?" Taichi opened the door to the courtyard and looked around. "Where are you?"

"_Here,"_ and the phone clicked. A hand was placed on Taichi's shoulder. "Let's talk over there."

He winced in surprise but followed the blond over to the corner. Yamato took a seat while the other remained standing.

"You know, you should be happy she remembers us. I know you like her, and all that," the boy said.

"I'm not happy because you're still here," Yamato said coldly.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what my mom did, okay? I told you this a million times. You shouldn't be angry at me for it."

Yamato snorted and grinned. "Your mother. . .had nothing to do with the divorce."

"It was a lie?"

"You know nothing, huh?" He clenched his fist and threw something at him.

Taichi caught it one-handedly, "A knife. . .?"

"I bring it with me at all times, to protect myself. . ."

"Why is that? Don't you have such a nice life, being so independent, with a hard-working father and a loving brother? You have lots of money because of your dad's status as the president of his company. You're the top of the class and respected by the school. Even as your best friend, back then. . .I cannot even compare."

"You think my life is picture perfect?" Yamato glared at him with piercing eyes. "My family. . .split up because of the countless arguments my parents had. There was no one to look after me. . .and worse, I couldn't even look after Takeru the way I wanted to."

"Why did you tell me it was my mom who did it?"

"It was more convenient to ruin your life that way," he said. "When we both agreed to the White and Black leader business, I was finding an opportunity to damage your life. I envied you. The more foolish you were, the happier I was."

Taichi frowned. "I know you hated me a great deal since we were little after the divorce, but if there's something you should hate, it should be your family!" He closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. "This stuff you're saying is not surprising at all."

_Just seeing his face. . .makes me angry_ Yamato thought. He took a glance at his leg. "Your leg injury. It prevented you from playing your beloved soccer, didn't it?"

He nodded. _It acted up again when Sora and I were being chased. . ._

"What if I told you that I planned it?"

Taichi gripped the knife in his possession, and flicked it open. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Yamato's grin was wiped away when someone had lunged forward in front of him. Taichi's chocolate eyes widened as the blade etched into the skin of another. It had stabbed a bit away from the center of the stomach. His hands were covered in blood, as were her delicate digits, which had stopped the blade from going deeper.

"Sora. . ."

* * *

**To Be Continued. . .**

**

* * *

**


	15. Tranquility

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Digimon seasons or any of its characters. The plotline is based off a Manga titled "Penguin Brothers", which has not been licensed in America. I don't own that either.

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**Shades of Gray:** Chapter 15

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**-Flashback-**

"_Hey, what're you doing here?" a little girl asked. As she leaned over a few auburn strands fell in front of her face._

"_I hate them. . ." the little boy replied. His ice blue eyes shifted in the direction of the other children playing in the playground._

"_Why?" she tilted her head._

"_They make fun of me," he said, not understanding why he'd tell her this. "They said my eyes were scary."_

_The girl frowned. "I think Yamato-kun has really pretty eyes!"_

"_Do you really?" he looked up at her, his eyes glistening in the sunlight._

_She nodded her head quickly. "Do you want to play with me?"_

_He nodded slowly. "Okay."_

"_My name's Sora," she offered her hand to the boy. _

_Yamato took her hand and she helped pull him up from the ground. "Nice to meet you. How'd you know my name?"_

"_Taichi mentioned you. . .He said you always sit here alone. It made me sad, so I wanted to be friends with you!"_

"_Oh," he watched her and she flashed a toothy smile. "Do you. . .hate those kids too? I watched them make fun of your hair and eye color."_

"_They make fun of the color of my hair and eyes, but its normal. Mommy told me they just don't understand, so I don't hate them."_

**-End Flashback-**

"Sora. . ." Taichi's chocolate orbs began to fade its liveliness as the blade etched into Sora's side. The knife had slit her fingers enough that blood began to stream down it. Soon the crimson liquid had mixed with the salt water falling from her auburn eyes.

She winced, closing both eyes shut at the pain. "It's okay, Taichi. . .don't be mad at Yamato." Her hands slid to his wrist. She gently pushed it away along with the blade. "He's just sad he never got a whole family like you. . .he's never had someone who's always been there for him."

**-Flashback-**

"_Yamato, what happened?" the girl reached for his eye but he slapped her hand away._

"_I. . .I told them they didn't understand why my eyes were scary. I told them. . .it was normal. They laughed, so I pushed one of the kids." He sniffled. "Then one of them threw dirt at me, and it got into my eye. I ran away because they laughed at me. No one understands. . ."_

_Sora smiled. "I understand Yamato-kun. Isn't that what matters? At least someone cares about you, and likes you the way you are."_

"_You. . .really like me?"_

"_A lot!" she said smiling. "I promise. . .I'll always be there for you, okay? I'll protect you."_

**-End Flashback-**

Sora turned and fell on one knee, clenching the wound as she looked up at Yamato with a smile. "I promised I'd always be there for you. . .right? That's why. . .you were sad I didn't remember. . .I'm sorry I forgot such a promise. . ." She placed the back of her hand against Yamato's face. "I remember everything now. I still think your eyes are pretty," she chuckled. "Please don't close your heart again."

Yamato slid down and held her in his arms. "Sora."

/ _"I'll protect you. Yamato-kun, you are a very important person to me!"_ /

"You are very important to me," she said softly, and then the world faded away.

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Yamato stared at the tombstone. He bent down on one knee, his eyes focusing on the name engraved.

_Hyori Takenouchi. . ._Yamato thought. _I'm. . .sorry about Sora. I let her get hurt. . .But I promise I'll protect her. _

His cell phone began to ring. After checking the name on the screen he picked up. "How is she?"

"_She's fine. The wound itself was shallow,"_ Jyou said on the other line._ "I think she went unconscious because of the sudden recovery of her memories. I didn't tell the nurse about it, since I can't – or rather, shouldn't – explain how she got the wound. I bandaged it up to stop the blood. As long as her shirt doesn't magically get short I don't think anyone will notice."_

"Thanks Jyou, I owe you one," Yamato sighed in relief. "I'm so happy you're going to be a doctor when you grow up."

"_Yes, I'm glad I'm just a tool at your convenience. . ."_ the senior replied sarcastically. _"By the way, Jun keeps bugging me about the End of the Year Dance. Why don't you come back and talk to her before she goes berserk?"_

"And this is the problem with nominating a girl to be the Vice-President of Student Council," Yamato sighed. "Later." And the phone clicked.

_Sorry I have to leave so soon. Goodbye._

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_

Taichi gawked. "You're fixed up already?"

"The wound was shallow to begin with. . ." Sora replied. She stared at her bandaged hands. "You made it very hard for me to write now."

"You shouldn't do something reckless," he retorted. "Who told you to jump in like that?"

"Who told you to go around stabbing people?"

Sora stepped back into a wall when Taichi's hand landed next to her head. He was dangerously close. "Listen. Do you remember when we were running away from the gang, and my leg started acting up?"

She nodded.

"A long time ago, I got cocky over winning a soccer game, so one of the opposite teammates went up and started beating me up about it. But somehow, it was all planned by Yamato. He said it so casually, why would he want to tell me this? It was as if he wanted me to stab him. . ."

"He was envious," Sora said simply. "He wanted to uplift the burden."

Taichi sighed and pushed himself away. "Whatever. Now that you're here everything will be okay."

"About that. . ." she said quietly. "I'm moving again."

"What?" two voices asked simultaneously; Yamato had entered through the doors just then, hearing her statement.

"My dad wants to see me. . .now more than ever since I remember everything. I'll be studying in America my last year of high school."

"When. . ." Yamato looked at the ground. "When are you leaving?"

"Some time after this school year ends," she placed her hands behind her back. "But we'll keep in touch this time."

Yamato looked away, and then continued up the courtyard stairs and towards the Student Council office.

"Bad timing on his part," Taichi scratched his head. "It'll be alright Sora."

"I hope so."

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Later that afternoon while Sora was walking home, she felt someone fall in step behind her. She stopped.

"Your backpack's unzipped," Yamato said.

She shifted the strap, about to zip her bag up until she noticed what was inside. She pulled out a blue origami box of chocolates. "Yamato. . ."

"I'll take it," he said. He ambled past her as he swiftly grabbed the box. "Thanks."

She nodded, glancing away to hide the blush on her face. "You're welcome."

They strolled in silence, him in front while she followed behind.

"I don't want you to leave."

Sora stopped. "Yamato, I'm not going to forget you again."

"I know, Sora, I know, but. . ."

She leaned against the light post. "My father wants to see me."

Yamato turned around. "So why doesn't he come visit you?" he snapped. "If he wanted to see you that badly he wouldn't make you move!"

She found it hard to look into his eyes. "I don't want to leave either."

He didn't say anything. Sora tilted her head at him, only to have her lips meet his.

She saw his eyes close, and soon found she herself doing the same. She felt his hand touch her bare arm and it made her shiver. He took a step closer to her body, deepening the kiss. Her fingers gently clenched his shirt. Her grip tightened when she felt his tongue slide against her lips. Sora gasped and pulled back.

"Sorry," he said, gently placing his forehead against hers. She slowly rested her head against the light post.

"It's okay."

"Sora."

"Hm?"

"Let's go talk to your uncle."

Before she could answer he grabbed her arm and began pulling her towards her house.

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Yuta looked up from his sketchbook he was doodling in. "Hello Sor—what happened to you hands?"

"Oh, uhh. . .I spilt some chemical stuff in my science class today," she said quickly. "It kind of burnt, so they wrapped these around them.

He nodded. "Hello Yamato."

"Yuta-san," Yamato acknowledged. "I'm going to get straight to the point." Yuta arched a brow, but couldn't help grinning when he saw Yamato place his arm around Sora's waist and draw her close to him. "I want Sora to stay."

"That's good to hear. I agree."

Sora felt her eye twitch. "You. . .what?"

"I agree," he said simply.

"That was easy," Yamato mumbled. "So she isn't going to leave?"

He shook his head. "Clearly, the best thing for Sora is for her to stay here with you. I have already explained the situation to her father and he will be flying in a few months to reside here."

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A few weeks later, Sora and the gang were all dressed up and posing for a picture at the End of the Year Dance. Her hands were placed over Yamato's, whose arms were wrapped around her waist.

"You took look good," Ken commented, pulling Miyako along by the hand.

"Likewise," Sora responded.

"I'm so happy you're staying!" Mimi cried. Koushiro grinned at his overly happy date. "Yes Mimi, we're already covered this. . ."

"We still can't believe it," Takeru said. "I was scared I wasn't going to see you ever again, Sora."

She smiled. "Everything's going to be okay. Where's Hikari?"

"She went to look for Taichi. . .he might be causing some kind of prank. . ."

Yamato shrugged. "Can't be too surprised. . ."

"EW!" Jun shrieked. "There's a worm in my drink!"

"And here we go. . ."

Sora smiled, leaning her body against Yamato. _Everything's going to be okay now. . ._

And she intended to keep it that way.

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**The End**

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**

Author's Note: Yes, this is it, folks. Sorry if it seemed rushed. I really wanted to finish this before I left for college (my first year) this Friday. I figured I wouldn't have much time to write with all my courses and stuff. I hope you enjoyed the story (or most of it!). I would like to thank all of you who read this story and enjoyed it. Thanks for all the reviews, I really do love/appreciate them. (And a minor sidenote... for some reason, I couldn't put in horizontal rules through the story as usual cause of the editing thing... so I hope the dotted lines weren't too much of a distraction.)


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